Monday, September 21, 2015

This is a study that I am teaching at Berean Bible Church in Knoxville TN. If you are reading this and not part of the study, please feel free to join us! If you are not in Knoxville, please feel free to follow along in this format as it will be updated each week until it is complete. If you are interested in the study we did in Philippians click here Feel free to comment or ask questions below, I generally respond to every comment, good or bad. I hope this study is a blessing to you as I know it will be a blessing to me to present. Thanks for reading!

REVELATION

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

WEEK 1

Revelation is a book of
mystery, intrigue, hope and horror. The first three chapters are
pretty straight forward, but as we look into the later chapters, we
find much to speculate about. John, whose greatest technology was
the wheel and a ship
rudder saw our future and
explained it to the best of his ability, comparing what he saw to
things that he knew.

Ezekiel
had much the same problem when he came in contact with the
per-incarnate Christ. Take a look at Ezekiel 1:4-28. Ezekiel sees
something he cannot describe by any frame of reference. When you
look at what Ezekiel saw and the fact that we read this in chapter 3
-
3:12 – 15 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the
voice of a great earthquake: "Blessed be the glory of the LORD
from its place!"

It
was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched
one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound
of a great earthquake.

The
Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the
heat of my spirit, the hand of the LORD being strong upon me.

And I
came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar
canal, and I sat where they were dwelling. And I sat there
overwhelmed among them seven days. We
can only conclude that Ezekiel came into contact with some type of
powered vehicle that is not of this world. Later in Ezekiel we see a
platform described above the cherubim and a being seated inside on a
chair and in chapter 10 we are told that the being is God. We can
safely conclude that Ezekiel came face to face with Jesus Christ.

As
John describes his vision of the future, we are left to figure how
much is literal and how much is John's attempts to explain something
for which he has no frame of reference.

Revelation
is also the only book that promises a blessing to it's readers

The
message is given to 7 literal first century churches. Also, each
church described seems to correlate to a church located in a specific
time or era. We will look at each of these churches as described and
see if we see a correlation of historical church movements of past
and present.

The
book is written by the Apostle John as he is in exile on the island
of Patmos. Tradition tells us that John was the last of the original
disciples left alive and that he survived boiling in oil. It is believed
that John's banishment was because he could not be killed and at least he
would have no one to preach to on a barren island.

Chapter
1 – We find find John being instructed by Christ to write what was, what is and what will be.

A.
V. 3 – Blessed are all who read the prophecy and who hear and do
what is written.

B.
V. 4 – Written to the 7 churches

C.
V. 7 – Christ's return will not be secret

D.
V. 10-11 – John commissioned to write to the seven churches

E. V. 12-16 – Describes
Christ -Dan
7:9 "As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days
took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his
head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were
burning fire.

F.
V. 17-18 – the One speaking to John identifies Himself as Christ

G.
V. 19-20 – John is commanded to write what was(Gospel), what is(3
epistles) and what will be(Revelation)

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015WEEK 2

Chapter
2 – letters to the churches “then and to come”

A.
V. 1-7 – This letter is message is written to the church at
Ephesus. During this time, the church was dealing with two types of
heresy – that of the Judaizers and that of the Gnostics which are
referred to here as Nicolaitans.

Judaizers
were those who Paul battled throughout his epistles. Their goal
was to place gentile believers under Jewish law, requiring them
to be circumcised and adherent to Levitical dietary laws. This
issue was addressed in the Jerusalem council when the Apostles
decreed that Gentiles were not required to obey Jewish Law

Nicolaitans
or Gnostics were lesser known at the time of the writing of
Paul's epistles but were mainly the heresy that John was
combating in his first epistle – Gnosticism teaches that the
spirit of man is what is redeemed and the flesh is utterly
corrupt, therefore, fleshly sin is permissible because the flesh
is already corrupted beyond repair. Gnosticism comes from the
root gnosis
which means knowledge. Gnosticism focuses on secret knowledge on
a spiritual level and correlates to mysticism and what we would
call esotericism or new age philosophy. When we hear people
refer to themselves as “spiritual” chances are they are
adhering to a form of Gnosticism. If you will recall, John used
the phrase “I write these things that you
may know”
throughout his first epistle as he was combating the heresy of
Gnosticism which claims secret knowledge outside of scripture and
beyond God.

The
reference to the apostles who were tested and found to be false
refers to the men who came into churches established by Paul and
claimed to be apostles but were teaching Law instead of grace.
We do not know the names of these men, but this is also a
reference to Nicolaus, a gentile convert who began to teach
heresies related to Gnosticism, thus the term Nicolaitans was
applied to his followers.

The
warning to this church was that they had become so focused on
combating heresy that they lost the focus of love.

B. V. 8-11 – To the
church at Smyrna

The church of Smyrna was a
literal church, in existence during the time of John's vision.
Each city that had a church, also had a Jewish synagogue which
opposed the “sect” of Christianity. The opposition from the
Jews in Smyrna would have been extreme as in other cities. In
Acts 18, we see the Jewish congregation in Corinth trying to
bring charges against Paul and when the Corinthian government
would not hear their dispute, they turned and beat Sosthenes, the
synagogue leader.

Opposition
to Christianity is obviously Satanically inspired and Jesus makes
this point when He accuses the Jewish leaders of being sons of
Satan: John
8:44You
are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your
father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does
not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and
the father of lies.

And
John makes clear in his first epistle that those who do not follow
the will of God are children of the devil

1Jn
3:10 By this it is evident
who are the children of God, and who are the children of the
devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor
is the one who does not love his brother.

We
must be careful and not allow this passage to negate all the
other passages in scripture that remind us that Israel is the
apple of God's eye and that this passage is specifically about
this group of Jews who were persecuting this church

The meaning behind reference
to 10 days of persecution is lost to history, but undoubtedly, it
had literal meaning and import to this church that Jesus was
addressing. Clearly, verse 11 reveals the truth that those who
are martyred for their faith will escape the second death, which
is hell

Second
death is identified for us in Revelation 21:8
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for
murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all
liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and
sulfur, which is the seconddeath."

this
reminds us of the words of Christ as quoted by Luke in his Gospel
account - Luke
12:4-5"I
tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body,
and after that have nothing more that they can do.

But I will warn you whom to fear: fear
him who, after he has killed, has authority to
cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

OCTOBER 7, 2015

WEEK 3

C.
V. 12-17 – Church at Pergamum

1.
Pergamum was a major city in the Roman empire and had a temple to
both Caesar and Zeus. It is believed that the Temple of Zeus is also
considered the Throne of Satan and that as Satan ruled over the
nation of Tyre, as referenced in Ezekiel

Ezekiel
28:12-16
"Son
of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him,
Thus says the Lord GOD: "You
were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your
covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your
settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they
were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you;
you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of
fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you
were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance
of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you
sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the of the stones
of fire.

Tradition
tells us that Antipas was designated pastor of Pergamum by the
Apostle John and that he was martyred when he refused to bow to
Caesar.

teaching
of Balaam – Numbers 22-25 tells us the account of Balaam, who
was hired the Moabite king Balak to curse the Israelites as they
encamped on their way to the promised land. Balaam refused to
curse Israel, due to the warning of God, but later instructed
Balak to entice Israel with the women of Moab, causing them to
turn from God and worship the idols of Moab. Pergamum was a
pagan center and undoubtedly some in the church struggled with
assimilating with the society rather than living in holiness and
obedience. Sacrificing meat to idols and sexual promiscuity
were major components to the pagan religions of the time.

Nicolations
– the Nicolations as we discussed earlier, were Gnostics who
believed in salvation on a spiritual level and denied the
physical aspects of the fall and redemption

“war
with the Sword of my mouth” - we know that the sword of
Christ's mouth is His word. Ephesians
6:17 and
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God,
the word of God is testimony against the evil practices being
done in the church. Because those who were practicing idolatry
and Gnosticism were living contrary to scripture, yet calling
themselves believers, they obviously did not know the teachings
of scriptures and Christ is threatening them with judgment in
accordance with His word, which they should have known. - the
modern church is in the same predicament as there is little
difference in the behavior of the world and those in the church,
even though we have God's word to govern our behavior. The Word
of God is testimony against those who claim faith yet live like
the lost.

Hidden
manna - Those who refrain from indulging in the delicacies that
have been sacrificed to idols will be given heavenly food from
God.

White
stone – In roman times, a white stone was often used to gain
admission to certain events – this white stone signifies
admission into heaven

2.
As we look at the historical church, a case can be made that the
church of Pergamum correlates to the time of 313AD to 1517 when
the Roman church ruled the western world and sought to conquer
the near east. During this time period, Christianity was
paganized and the pantheon of gods worshiped by the western
world were replaced by saints. The image of the Madonna, which
we are all familiar with was not something invented to depict
Mary and baby Jesus, but was co-opted by the Roman church from
it's pagan roots, the image is found in antiquity representing
Semiramis and Tamuuz, or whatever regional name they happened to
go by. After 300 years of persecution could not destroy the
church, mixing it with paganism was effective in neutralizing
the power of the Gospel in much of the civilized world. This
was the same trick Balaam pulled to destroy Israel. Gnosticism,
the nicolatioan heresy, had taken such a grip on the culture of
the Vatican, by the time Martin Luther made his pilgrimage to
Rome, he was completely disgusted by the debaucherous conditions
and behavior he found among the religious ruling class.

A
case can be made for the Roman church being the throne of Satan
during this period of time. During the inquisition, the Roman
church martyred many Bible believing Christians who would not
bow to the Pope. Roman crusaders invaded the British Isles in
the 900s and attempted to eradicate Celtic Christianity to the
point of scalping Celtic priests because they refused to wear
the Roman tonsure. During this time period, Roman crusaders
burned entire Jewish populations of towns throughout Europe.
Nearly all the Bible believing Albegensian Christians of France
were killed during this period as well. A strong case could be
made that this behavior was Satanically inspired.

The
reference Jesus makes to waging war with the sword of His mouth could
be seen as a pretty clear reference to the use of scripture at the
time of the Reformation to combat the mayhem and abuses inflicted by
the Roman Church at the time.

D. V. 18-29 –
Church of Thyatira

1. The City
of Thyatira was a military outpost which became a center of
commerce. Because of the heavy commerce, Thyatira engendered
many trades, and with trades, came trade guilds.

v. 19
talks about latter works exceeding the first – this shows a church
that was growing like it
is supposed to – progressing into greater

works as faith and
learning grew.

V.
20-23 tells us that some in the church tolerated the woman Jezebel

and that
she was leading the church into sin but would be destroyed

by
God – Jezebel here is a reference to the evil influence of Queen

Jezebel
. King Ahab of Israel took a Canaanite wife who

influenced
Israel to worship Baal instead of God -

Ki
16:30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD,
more than all who were before him. And as if it had been a light
thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he
took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the
Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. He erected
an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.

And
Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of
Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

Traditionally, trade guilds had “patron” gods.
Remember in Acts, we read about Demetrius the silversmith who opposed
Paul and his teachings of Christ.

Act
19:24-28 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver
shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.
These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and
said, "Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth.
And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of
Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people,
saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger
not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also
that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as
nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she
whom all Asia and the world worship. When they heard this they were
enraged and were crying out, "Great is Artemis of the
Ephesians!"

Just
as the craftsmen in Ephesus worshiped Artemis, the different guilds
in Thyatira worshiped various gods and in order to do business one
was expected to participate in the culture of the city. Some in the
church were lured into immorality and licentiousness

and
those who condoned such behavior were working in the spirit of
Jezebel who led King Ahab, and all Israel with him, into idolatrous
sin.

1Ki
21:25-26 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the
sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted
very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom
the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.)

WEEK 4OCTOBER 14V. 24-28 – So
entrenched in the society of Thyatira was Satanic behavior

Jesus was
pleased with those who simply abstained from the corruption

of the
society around them. By not participating in the sin of the nation

around them,
the believers in Thyratira would be qualified to rule over

nations in
the time of the kingdom: We see Jesus teaching this concept

in Luke
19:16-17 - The
first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas
more.And
he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant!cBecause
you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority
over ten cities.’

2. Church of
Thyatira in historical context – the Reformation church about

1517-1715

The
similarities of the description of this church to that of the
reformation

are striking
– Love, faith and service defines the behavior of the church

of the
reformation that came out of a very paganized works oriented

system of
religion. In fact, the verse that is credited wit leading Luther

break away
from Rome and start the Reformation was Romans_1:17
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,
as it is written, "The righteous shall live byfaith."

Within
the Reformation, there were believers who were still in the

Roman
system which was pagan to the core. Thus the reference to those

who
tolerate the woman Jezebel, those who were believers in the Roman

Church
had an alternative and yet, some chose to stay affiliated with

Rome.
Jezebel is referred to as calling herself a “prophetess” meaning

she
is a self proclaimed spokesperson for God. Roman Catholic

doctrine
teaches that certain Papal decrees are considered infallible

meaning
they are equal to scripture.

Verses
21-23 decrees future judgment for the Roman church – alluding

being
left out of the rapture, and suffering greatly and ultimately being

destroyed.

Verses
24-28 – The believers of the reformation were persecuted unto

death
by Papal decree. The Jesuit order was formed as a military group

tasked
with destroying the reformers. During this time, just

remaining
faithful in the face of persecution was all these small groups of

believers
could do. These who prevail are promised rulership over nations

during
the kingdom age.

The
reference to gaining the Morning Star is a direct reference to these
believers being in the presence of Christ. Rev
22:16
"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these
things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David,
the bright morning star."

WEEK 5OCTOBER 21

CHAPTER
3

Church
in Sardis v. 1-6

A.
v.1a – Seven spirits and seven stars -

1.
Seven spirits represents the Holy Spirit – Isaiah
11:2
And the Spirit
of the LORD
shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom
and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel
and might,
the Spirit of knowledge
and the fear
of the LORD.
We see here in Isaiah seven aspects of the Holy Spirit

2. in the next
chapter, we seen in verse 5 -
From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of
thunder, and before the throne were burning seven
torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, which
references Zechariah 4:1-6 And
the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who
is awakened out of his sleep.
And he said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I see,
and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it,
and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are
on the top of it.

And
there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the
other on its left." And I said to the angel who talked with me,
"What are these, my lord?"

Then
the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you
not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."

Then
he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not
by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
This
is clearly a reference to the Holy Spirit. In the book of Ezra we
see Zerubbabel, who was in line to be king, going to Jerusalem after
Israel's 70 years of captivity and overseeing the rebuilding of the
temple. So we see the Holy Spirit being referenced with the number
7. The presence of God's Spirit is established here as an integral
part of the Church.

3.
7 stars – Verse 20 in chapter 1 identifies the 7 stars as 7 angels
assigned to oversee the 7 churches in the spiritual realm. 2 Kings
6:17 shows us that there is a spirit realm around us that we cannot
see Then
Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may
see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and
behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all
around Elisha.The
Syrian army had surrounded Israel and the prophet Elisha's servant
saw the great army and was terrified, so Elisha prayed that the
servant would be able to glimpse the spirit world and see the army of
angels that were fighting for Israel. We can deduce that we have the
same protection around us as believers based on this verse on the
fact that the 7 angels oversee the 7 churches.

B.
v.1b – reputation - this church has a reputation for being alive,
but in reality, this church in Sardis is spiritually dead. The
church looked good to outsiders but was not holy in the eyes of God.
The danger is of being able to look good by following the rules in
front of people but protecting hidden sin or playing churchbut not
caring about God. We see this danger in super legalistic churches

C.
v.2-3 – The danger of playing church is that it becomes impossible
to determine if people truly have a relationship w/God or they are
behaving a certain way to get along and be accepted. This is a
problem in generational church membership. When we are born into the
church, we follow certain rules and give off the appearance of faith,
when in reality, we are simply living according to the mores or
acceptable standards of church culture. People who grow up in a
church can miss salvation and be left out when God demands their
soul.

D.
v. 4-6 – Even in a church that is very ecumenical or weak in the
Gospel, there will be those who are true believers. There are
denominations that have become all but irrelevant when it comes to
presenting the Gospel, but even in those dead churches, there are
those who have discovered faith.

E.
In the historical sense, we can find correlation to the church of the
age of enlightenment. This period of history was short, in
comparison to the other church ages running from 1715 to about 1789.
During this period of time, ideas like liberty and tolerance were
considered the highest virtue. As these ideas began to mold society,
ideas such as Deism and Atheism began to evolve. Deism holds to a
belief God as an impersonal creator but removes the power of God's
Spirit and the sacrifice of Christ. Self determinism and humanism
are natural by products of Deist and Atheist beliefs.

Thomas
Jefferson, a Deist, published his own version of the Bible, removing
all references to Christ's resurrection and miracles. While America
was fighting for independence, two factions, believers and Deists,
were vying for preeminence. Jefferson and Franklin were not
Christians, but Deists, that related to God quite differently than
Bible believing Christians. Many historians would like to lead us
to believe these men, and others with similar beliefs, were
Christians. They appeared to be alive, yet were spiritually dead.
Even in my Christian college days, I was assigned a research paper on
the faith of Ben Franklin.

These
ideas of liberty and tolerance culminated with the French Revolution,
with the throwing off of the church and the rule of God while
embracing the goddesses liberty and reason. We actually have a
replica of the goddess of liberty standing in the New York harbor, a
gift from Godless France.

Even
in the midst of this terrible time of liberal spirituality, great men
of faith such as John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield were
able to see revival. There was much spiritual thought and
discussion, during this time, but much of the thought and discussion
led people away from God rather towards salvation. The age of
enlightenment really courted darkness and the ideas of the inherent
goodness of man which is in direct contradiction to V. 4 which refers
to those outside of Christ as having soiled clothing.

WEEK 6

OCTOBER 28, 2015

Church
of Philadelphia V.7-13

A.
v. 7 – Key of David - This is a reference to Isaiah 22:14-25
The LORD of hosts has revealed himself in my ears: "Surely this
iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die," says the
Lord GOD of hosts. Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, "Come, go
to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to
him: What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have
cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the
height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock?

Behold,
the LORD will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will
seize firm hold on you and whirl you around and around, and throw
you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there
shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master's house.
I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from
your station.

In
that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I
will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and
will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will
place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open,
and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I
will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a
throne of honor to his father's house. And they will hang on him the
whole honor of his father's house, the offspring and issue, every
small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons.
In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, the peg that was fastened
in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall,
and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the LORD has
spoken." This
is a very prophetic passage. As Jesus references the Key of David,
it correlates a transfer of blessing and authority. In verse 9 we
see the persecuting Jewish population, once again called the
synagogue of Satan. Israel was given the blessing and authority of
carrying God's name, but because the Jews in Philadelphia have chosen
to do the work of Satan, attacking and persecuting the church, Jesus
is making a clear statement of transferring blessing and authority
from unbelieving Israel to the Church. In the above passage, from
Isaiah, Shebna is rejected and Eliakim is given Shebna's position.
Jesus is not just throwing out the phrase Key of David, He is using
it to demonstrate the transfer from Israel to the Church. This is
where understanding scriptures is so important. If we just looked at
this passage, in context, along with Isaiah 22, we would be left with
the belief that God is done with Israel and the Church is now the
recipient of all God's blessings and promises, as replacement
theology teaches. If replacement theology were true, we would throw
away most of the book of Revelation, and entire books and chapters of
the Old Testament. Also, we would have to conclude that God lied
when He gave the boundaries of the land that Israel
would
one day inhabit, as Israel has never actually attained all the land
that God promised to them. Here is a sample passage that we would
have to excise from the Old Testament if Replacement Theology were
true: Ezekiel
47:1 and 14-23
Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water
was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east
(for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below
the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
And you shall divide equally what I swore to give to your fathers.
This land shall fall to you as your inheritance.

"This
shall be the boundary of the land: On the north side, from the Great
Sea by way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, and on to Zedad,

Berothah,
Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as
far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.

So
the boundary shall run from the sea to Hazar-enan, which is on the
northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north.
This shall be the north side. "On
the east side, the boundary shall run between Hauran and Damascus;
along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; to the
eastern sea and as far as Tamar. This shall be the east side. "On
the south side, it shall run from Tamar as far as the waters of
Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea.
This shall be the south side. "On the west side, the Great Sea
shall be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This shall be
the west side. "So you shall divide this land among you
according to the tribes of Israel. You shall allot it as an
inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners who reside among
you and have had children among you. They shall be to you as
native-born children of Israel. With you they shall be allotted an
inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the
sojourner resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance,
declares the Lord GOD.

We
see here that God transfers authority and blessing from Israel to the
Church, yet we know that God has a plan to redeem Israel and restore
Israel, This means that there has to come a time when the blessing
and authority transfers back to Israel. This leads us to a quandary,
if the church has replaced Israel, as this passage seems to suggest,
and the Bible states emphatically that Israel shall be restored, yet
the Key of David is used to explain this transfer, how can blessing
and authority leave the church and go back to Israel if Eliakim never
relinquished his position back to Shebna? We would have to conclude
that the church, which had a definitive beginning, on the day of
Pentecost, will have a definitive ending at the time of the rapture.
It is when the church age ends, that the transfer of blessing and
authority goes back to Israel, setting up the millennial reign of
Christ. You then get a sense of the timing of the rapture of the
church when you compare I Thessalonians 4:16-18 -
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of
God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive,
who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Therefore encourage one another with these words. To
the sheep and goat judgment of Matthew 25, clearly these cannot be
the same event, so we know that the rapture must take place prior to
the return of Christ to earth leaving us with at the very least, a
mid or pre tribulational rapture of the Church.

B.
v. 8 – Open door – Access to God cannot be challenged by the
teachings of religious leaders in a synagogue or by societal mores.
The Philadelphians are commended for remaining faithful in the face
of opposition.

C.
v. 9 – we see again, the synagogue of Satan, which is made up of
Jews who have chosen to oppose the work of God and attack His church.
These will be brought low at the time of judgment because they had
all the information available to them to know the truth, but chose to
reject God's Messiah

D. v. 10 –
this is the promise of supernatural protection of God's people from
the wrath of God. Not protection from bad things happening, not
protection from persecution, but protection fro God's wrath. Though
there is argument as to when the time of God's wrath begins, a case
can be made for the beginning of the Tribulation period being the
beginning of God's wrath on earth. We will develop this idea and
look at the various beliefs concerning the rapture in coming
chapters.

The word trial
here denotes a testing of those who are on the earth – thus, the
judgment found in Matthew 25 makes much more sense in terms of people
being judged by the way they demonstrated faith in Christ vs.
professing faith without works.

E.
V. 11-13 – For those who endure, those whose faith is real and who
have truly been regenerated, they will participate in the New
Jerusalem, of which we will study in Rev. 21 but as a glimpse of what
is to come, look at 21:1-3Then
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Rev
21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev
21:3 And I heard a loud voice
from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is
with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and
God himself will be with them as their God.

F.
Church of Philadelphia in historical context – Evangelical
missionary church

1.
We can trace trace this church movement to about 1790 but we cannot
really

put
an end date on this church era which means we may very well be still
in this church.

2.
Things that coincide with current church age – open door seems to
fit well with the great protestant missionary movement began in the
1700s – Synagogue of Satan may be identified with the rise of
Christian cults such as Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses which
sprang forth in the 1800s

3.
The next church, Laodicea, is always associated with the end times
church. There are those who believe that Philadelphia and Laodicea
both represent the church of the last days.

a.
Philadelphia receives no rebuke from Christ and Laodicea receives no
commendation

b.
may be a fulfillment of the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew
25:1-13WEEK 7NOVEMBER 4

Church
of Laodicea – Vv.14-22

A.
V.14 – Once again, Jesus identifies Himself as the one sending
this message

B.
V. 15-16 – When Christ threatens that He is “about to spit you
out of my mouth” our translation may lend a
weaker sounding announcement than was intended by Jesus.
The Greek is mello emeho. Emeho literally
translates out as vomit,
which is a much more violent expulsion than merely spitting.
If that were not emphatic enough, mellois usually
translated as shall or
will.
In fact, whenever mello
is translated about to
it is in the context of something that is literally about to
take place, such as when Jesus asked John and James, “can
you drink the cup I am about to drink.”
Often this passage is presented as less emphatic in the
sense of a loose threat rather than a sure thing that will happen.
The implication is that Jesus is going to reject this
church because of it's lack of true commitment.

1.
Hot would represent a church that is committed to God and would be
best represented by the church of Philidelphia

2.
cold would represent outright rejection of Christ and would be best
repre-

sented
by the Synagogue of Satan.

3.
lukewarm indicates a church that is indifferent to God, Christian in
name

only.
We find this in many churches, people who claim to believe but have
no fruit and do not really care, one way or another. This is
those who have made an intellectual ascent to Christ, but who
have not placed faith in Him.

C.
V. 17 – What we find here in Laodicea, is a self righteous group
of people who believe they have all that they need
spiritually and do not acknowledge spiritual need. I
remember witnessing to a guy who went to his priest and
asked what he needed to do to be saved, and the priest told him,
“keep doing what you are doing and you will be fine, you
are a good person.” In my esti- mation, that priest sent
that guy to hell by giving him false hope in his own
innate goodness.

1.
contrast this with
Psalm 139:23-24- Search
me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my
thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead
me in the way everlasting!
2. the Laodicean church should have taken heed from Proverbs
12:15
- The
way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man
listens to advice.

D.
V. 18 – This church is being given a final warning to get saved,
to recognize their need and sin.

E.
V. 19 – This is a church that is about go fall under the judgment
of God - 1. Proverbs 15:9-11 speaks to this - The
way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But He
loves one who pursues righteousness. Grievous punishment is
for him who forsakes the way; He who hates reproof will die.
Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more
the hearts of men!…
2.
Jesus loves this group of apostates and desires them to repent, so
He promises them chastisement and discipline, that
they may repent unto regeneration

F.
V. 20 – This verse is often used in evangelism, but we see here
that the image is a people who identify as the church, yet they
have relegated Jesus to a place outside their hearts, while
Christ, ever the gentleman, refuses to break through the door,
but knocks, patiently, waiting for the closed heart to open up to
him.

G.
V. 21 – Jesus makes one more plea to these lethargic, closed
hearted people, calling them to be conquerers. Jesus
identifies Himself as a conquerer, referring to His obedience
unto death. This lukewarm church cannot even
perceive it's need for true salvation, making it very doubtful
that they would be obedient unto death.

1.
I John 5:4-5 - For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the
world. And this is the victory that has overcome the
world—our faith.

Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that
Jesus is the Son of God?

Clearly,
we see that only those who have faith in Christ can overcome so,
in essence, Christ is telling them that those with true faith will
rule with Him on His throne.

2.
Romans
8:37 - No,
in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us.

As
we follow Christ, we have assurance that we will overcome the

world,
even unto death.

H.
As we look at these churches, in a historical context, we have no
doubt

that
this church corresponds to the last days. Last study, we looked at

Philadelphian church and noted that, in the historical context,
that church had a distinct historical beginning, but no real
clear end and the Laodicean church does not seem to have any
definitive beginning, but seems to have a definitive end, at
the rapture of the church.

This
church is defined as being apathetic to Christ. There is no doubt

that
Christ considers Himself on the outside of this church. Christ
threatens this church with discipline and implores them to repent
but also tells them that if they overcome, as He has
overcome, they will be redeemed. Could this be a reference
to this church going through the tribulation,
where, we are told, people will be killed for the testimony
of Christ? Rev
13:7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to
conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and
people and language and nation,

Today, we can
see components of both the Philadelphian and

Laodicean
churches. 71% of Americans claim to be Christian. Does

this
country look anything like it is populated with 71% believers?

Parable
of the 10 virgins:

Mat
25:1"Then
the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps
and went to meet the bridegroom.

Mat
25:2Five
of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Mat
25:3For
when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,

Mat
25:4but
the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.

Mat
25:5As
the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.

Mat
25:6But
at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to
meet him.'

Mat
25:7Then
all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.

Mat
25:8And
the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our
lamps are going out.'

Mat
25:9But
the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and
for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.'

Mat
25:10And
while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were
ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

Mat
25:11Afterward
the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.'

Mat
25:12But
he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'

Mat
25:13Watch
therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

This
parable is given to us by Jesus in Matthew 25, whilst Christ is
laying out end time events – as we read this, it is clear that only
half of those who believe they are going with the bridegroom actually
go. If these virgins are the church of the last days, this indicates
that only half of those who claim to be believers are actually going
to be taken in the rapture of the church. This opens up the
possibility that the last days church will be comprised by both those
who are committed and regenerated and those who are apathetic and
apostate. The regenerated have the oil, which represents the Holy
Spirit, and the apathetic have not the Spirit and are not really
saved. From Christ's teachings, we can discern that when He comes for
His church, as He promised the disciples, that only half will be
going with Him: Joh
14:3And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take
you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Jesus
did not promise to return to them and set up His kingdom, He promised
to take them to where He was going, which we know is heaven. Those
who go with Christ will spend eternity with Christ and return with
Him to earth to rule with Christ for a thousand years. Those who go
into the tribulation will, if they repent and believe, mostly be
martyred, thus the call to conquer as Christ conquered, being
obedient unto death.

WEEK 8 & 9NOVEMBER 11 & 18

ESCHATOLOGICAL
VIEWS:

We will take a break from the text to discuss the different eschatological views most widely held by believers. This is not an exhaustive study by any means, but an overview of various end time doctrines. While I hold and teach a specific eschatology, I do not believe it is a matter that Christians should divide over. It is essential that we agree that Christ will return, it is not essential that we all agree on the timing of the event. Obviously, I believe my view of the rapture is the correct view as taught in scripture, otherwise, I would not teach this view. Having said this, I concede that I am not omniscient, nor do I pretend to understand everything concerning prophecy. I present here, to the best of my ability, what I believe, with all my heart, to be what scripture teaches concerning the rapture, tribulation, and millennial reign of Christ and the order in which I believe these events will take place.

Amillennialism:
Rejects a literal 1000 year
reign of Christ on earth. Believes that church age is the Kingdom
and that Christ will return only after the church is established
worldwide. Rejects any further plan of God regarding Israel and
supplants Israel with the church, concerning all the promises and
blessings of the Old Testament.

Eastern,
Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, DOC, Church of Christ,
Christian Church, and Anglican are the most prominent denominations
that hold to this doctrine. Popularized by Augustine. Modern
proponents include J.I Packer and R. C. Sproul, and Hank Hanegraaff.

Amillennialism
requires an allegorical interpretation of Revelation. This view also
makes us discount a great deal of the Old Testament's prophecies
concerning Israel.

Those
who choose to not allegorize Revelation hold to a view called
Preterism.

Preterism
postulates all the prophecies of Revelation and Daniel were fulfilled
in the first century. This view originated in 1614 with a Jesuit
priest named Alcasar, meant to counter the Reformation. In 1640, a
Dutch Reformer introduced the idea to protestants and in 1845, an
American Protestant, Townely, touted the view, making it more
widespread. Townely later recanted this view, but the damage was
already done.

This
view requires an earlier date for Revelation than has been
established by scholars and ignores specific details of prophecies.

Post-millenialism:
The view that the church will
convert the majority of people and usher in a time of peace mirroring
the Beatitudes. Often thought to be a literal 1000 years of church
rule, at the conclusion which Christ returns to bring final judgment
and the usher in the eternal state of man. Post-millenialism emerged
in 1658 and was considered a minority view. Jonathan Edwards is the
most notable proponent of this view.

This
view does not hold up to scrutiny and also requires large sections of
scripture to be excised. Philippians 3:20 But
our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ,
and 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then
we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be
with the Lord.
demonstrate Paul expected Christ to return in his lifetime.

If
Paul expected an imminent return of Christ, how could there be an
emphatic 1000 year church age preceding the return of Christ.

Pre-millenialism:
The view that Christ will
return and set up a kingdom on earth for 1000 years. This is the
prevalent view among evangelicals as it is the natural conclusion of
literal interpretation of the Bible and does not require any
scripture twisting or allegorization. If one takes the Bible at face
value with no preconceived ideas, Pre-millinialism is the only
natural conclusion at which one could arrive.

First
century believers held to this view.

Within
Pre-millenialiam there is debate as to the timing of the rapture of
the church. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in
Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1
Corinthians 15:51-52
-Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed,in
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. Forthe
trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we
shall be changed.

These
passages leave no doubt that the rapture is a real event in which we
will be caught up and transformed. The three prominent views on the
timing of the rapture are Pre, Mid and Post tribulational rapture.

Post
Trib:
Postulates that the church will go through the tribulation and be
raptured as Christ returns to defeat Anti-christ.

Main
passages supporitng – Matthew 24:29-314:29"Immediately
after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Mat
24:30Then
will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the
tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mat
24:31And
he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will
gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other.

2
Thessalonians 2:1-4 - Now
concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered
together to him, we ask you, brothers,

2Th
2:2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit
or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect
that the day of the Lord has come.

2Th
2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come,
unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the son of destruction,

2Th
2:4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or
object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
proclaiming himself to be God.

Revelation
11:15-18 -

Rev
14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this:
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed
indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their
labors, for their deeds follow them!"

Rev
14:14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the
cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a
sharp sickle in his hand.

Rev
14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud
voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and
reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is
fully ripe."

Rev
14:16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth,
and the earth was reaped.

Rev
14:17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he
too had a sharp sickle.

Rev
14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has
authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one
who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle and gather the
clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe."

Rev
14:19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered
the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress
of the wrath of God.

Rev
14:20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood
flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600
stadia.

Matthew
13:24-29 - Mat
13:24
He put another parable before them, saying, "The
kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his
field,

Mat
13:25but
while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the
wheat and went away.

Mat
13:26So
when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.

Mat
13:27And
the servants of the master of the house came and said to him,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it
have weeds?'

Mat
13:28He
said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him,
'Then do you want us to go and gather them?'

Mat
13:29But
he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along
with them.

Mat
13:30Let
both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell
the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be
burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

Matthew
24:29-30 - "Immediately
after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Mat
24:30Then
will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the
tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mat
24:31And
he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will
gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other.

Mid-trib:
Postulates the rapture of the
church taking place midway through the rapture, sparing the church
for The Great Tribulation.

Verses
that are used to support this view:

Revelation
3:10 - Rev
3:10Because
you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from
the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who
dwell on the earth.

2Th
2:3
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come,
unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the son of destruction,

Pre-trib:
Postulates
the rapture will occur prior to the beginning of the Tribulation.

Verses
that are used to support this view:

Rev
3:10Because
you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from
the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who
dwell on the earth.

Revelation
4-19 – Tribulation described but not one mention of the church

Joh
14:2In
my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have
told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

Joh
14:3And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take
you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Joh
14:4And
you know the way to where I am going."

1
Thessalonians 4:17 Then
we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be
with the Lord

Mat
25:31"When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then
he will sit on his glorious throne.

Mat
25:32Before
him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one
from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Mat
25:33And
he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

Mat
25:34Then
the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed
by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world.

Mat
25:35For
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

Mat
25:36I
was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in
prison and you came to me.'

Mat
25:37Then
the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you
hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

Mat
25:38And
when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe
you?

Mat
25:39And
when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

Mat
25:40And
the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one
of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Mat
25:41"Then
he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into
the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Mat
25:42For
I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me
no drink,

Mat
25:43I
was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not
clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'

Mat
25:44Then
they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or
thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not
minister to you?'

Mat
25:45Then
he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do
it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'

Mat
25:46And
these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into
eternal life."

Up
to this point, we have done an expository, verse by verse study but
due to the nature of the content of the rest of this book, we will
take chunks of scripture and do more of an overview. We will look at
some very difficult passages that have more than one legitimate
possible meaning and we will discuss various ideas. We will,
however, be studying this from a dispensational, pre-tribulation
world view and we will study these passages with the understanding
that the rapture has taken place and the church, as we know it is no
longer on earth. We will note that the term saint is employed to
refer to believers throughout the Old Testament, without necessarily
referring to the Church. The inference that the same holds true
here, will be the model from which we will be studying.

CHAPTER
4 – A VIEW OF HEAVEN

V.
1-4 – John is called up and now is standing in the very throne
room of God. We see a description of God Himself and there are 24
elders bowing before the throne.

A. God is
described in terms of precious stones and no form or physical
features are noted

B. The 24
elders: presbeteros

1.
angels – Not much support for this view and nowhere in scripture do
we find angels referred to as prespbeteros. Angels and Elders
are named together in chapter 7 - Rev
7:11
And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the
elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces
before the throne and worshiped God,

2.
12 patriarchs and 12 apostles

a.
remember, when Judas left, the Apostles needed to replace him

Act
1:20
"For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "'May his camp
become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it'; and "'Let
another take his office.'

Act
1:21
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that
the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

Act
1:22
beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken
up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his
resurrection."

Act
1:23
And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also
called Justus, and Matthias.

Act
1:24
And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of
all, show which one of these two you have chosen

Act
1:25
to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas
turned aside to go to his own place."

Act
1:26
And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he
was numbered with the eleven apostles.

b.
Paul and Barnabas are called apostles, but they are not numbered as
part of

the
12, and we do not see them become apostles in the same manner as the

above
passage

c.
there are 3 separate listings of the 12 tribes found in scripture.
One lists the 12 sons of Jacob, one list omits Levi and
Joseph and replaces them with Joseph's 2 sons and one list
includes Levi and Joseph's 2 sons and omits Dan

d.
problems –

1.
John is one of the Apostles and surely would have recognized himself.

2.
God's program for Israel is not completed, as the 70th
week of Daniel has not been completed
3. Represents the raptured church

a.
Whit robes- Jesus tells the church of Sardis that they will be give
white robes Rev
3:5The
one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will
never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name
before my Father and before his angels.

b.
Crowns – Crowns are promised to the churches who overcome - Rev
3:11I
am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize
your crown.

c.
24 relates to offices of priesthood - Ch
24:7
The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

1Ch
24:8
the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

1Ch
24:9
the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

1Ch
24:10
the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

1Ch
24:11
the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

1Ch
24:12
the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

1Ch
24:13
the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

1Ch
24:14
the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

1Ch
24:15
the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,

1Ch
24:16
the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,

1Ch
24:17
the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul,

1Ch
24:18
the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

1Ch
24:19
These had as their appointed duty in their service to come into the
house of the LORD according to the procedure established for them by
Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

d.
Thrones – represent royalty - 2Ti
2:12
if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also
will deny us;

e.
the church is a royal priesthood - 1Pe
2:9But
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him
who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

f.
Chapter 5 describes these elders in terms that could only describe
the church Rev
5:8
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and
twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them
harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of
saints.

Rev
5:9
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people,
and nation;

Rev
5:10
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign
on the earth.

This
passage gives great evidence that the church is in heaven at this
point and the events of the tribulation are about to begin, making a
clear case for a pre-tribulational rapture model.

WEEK 10:

Chapter
4:5-11-

I.
verses 4-6 we see a scene right out of Ezekiel 1 - Eze
1:13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance
was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving
to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and
out of the fire went forth lightning.

Eze
1:22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness
of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above
their heads.

n
their wings.

Eze
1:25 And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads.
When they stood still, they let down their wings.

Eze
1:26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness
of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the
likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance.

Eze
1:27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as
it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all
around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw
as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around
him.

Eze
1:28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day
of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was
the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I
saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

And
also reminiscent of an event at Mt. Sinai- Exo
20:18
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning
and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people
were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off

Exo
20:19 and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen;
but do not let God speak to us, lest we die."

There
is no doubt that this is God Almighty and John is in His throne room

V.
7 – this also mirrors the living creatures that accompanied Christ
in Ezekiel 1:10
As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four
had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of
an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle.

A.
Each face of the living creatures represents an aspect of
Christ's ministry as represented by the 4 Gospel accounts

1.
Lion – King – Matthew

2.
Ox – Servant – Mark

3.
Man – Man – Luke

4.
Eagle – God- John

B.
Notice that the representation is in the same order of each of the
Gospel accounts. There is liberal scholars and skeptics that would
like to call into question the canon of scripture. You will hear
numerous arguments as to why the Bible we have today is incomplete
and that the Catholic Church decided what books to include and which
to disregard and that there were many more Gospels than the 4 we
have.

1.
Gospel of Thomas – a collection of sayings supposedly made by
Christ but having no narrative and many are contradictory of Christ's
known teachings – it is Gnostic in nature and the earliest fragment
is dated to around 340 AD. No serious historian considers it
authentic, but it is used by those who would want to discredit Christ
and the true Gospel

2.
Gospel of Q – An imaginary document that has never been seen, but
dreamed up by skeptics due to the similarities found in the Gospels
of Mark, Luke and Matthew. The theory goes that the Gospels of Mark,
Luke and Matthew are so similar, they must have borrowed heavily from
an earlier source document.

3.
We establish a matter on the testimony of two witnesses –
Deuteronomy 19:15 - “A
single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or
for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed.
Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a
charge be established.

2
Corinthians 13:1This
is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be
established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

So,
in this case, we see that the Gospels we have in the Bible are the
Gospels that God has intended for us to have, nothing is missing and
nothing has been removed

V.
8-11 – and here we see worship taking place before the Lord by the
raptured church and the living creatures who accompany God's throne

WEEK 11DECEMBER 9

Chapter
5 – Coronation of The King

I.
V. 1-3 what we see here is an amazing sight. God, seated on His
throne, holds a scroll that is sealed, and none in heaven, on the
earth or under the earth were able to open it.

A.
those in heaven is the church

B.
those on earth are those who are left behind after the rapture

C.
those under the earth represent those in Hades, awaiting judgment

II.
V. 4 – remember, John is a spectator at this point and does not
understand what is going on, so he weeps in helplessness, not
realizing what is about to happen

III.
V. 5-7 – Christ, who is no longer in the role of mediator, as the
church is complete and in Heaven, now enters the throne room as the
conquering King and receives the scroll from the hand of the Father.
Notice He is identified both as Lion- kingship and Lamb – sacrifice

IV.
V. 8-10 – Here, as we looked at in our study on Chap 4, the 24
elders identify themselves as the church, which being in heaven, must
have been raptured. Identifying themselves as a royal priesthood by
the virtue of the blood that was shed by the Lamb.

V.
9-14 – Great worship breaks out as Christ takes His rightful place
and receives the scroll. All the redeemed and all heavenly beings
unite together in worship for the King of Kings

CHAPTER
6 – The Tribulation begins

As
we enter into our study of Chapter 6 - we begin studying the period
of time referred to in Scripture as the Tribulation, the Time of
Jacob's Trouble, and Daniel's 70th week.

We
first come learn about this in Daniel chapter 9 -

Daniel
was in earnest prayer concerning the restoration of Israel and God
sent the Angel Gabriel to Daniel, to teach Daniel about the time of
the coming of the Messiah and events leading up to the second coming
as well.

Daniel
9:21
while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in
the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of
the evening sacrifice. He
made me understand, speaking with me and saying, "O Daniel, I
have now come out to give you insight and understanding.

What
Gabriel told Daniel has confounded Bible scholars for centuries, but
with a little hindsight and Biblical application, we can discover an
amazing prophecy that not only predicts the coming of the Messiah,
but gives us the very date that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a
Donkey!

First
the prophecy: Dan
9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy
city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to
make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint
the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build
Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall
be
seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built
again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

And
after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy
the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall
be
with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

And
he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the
midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it
desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be
poured upon the desolate.

This
all seems very cryptic, but it is not very difficult to understand,
so we will take it in pieces.

The
word translated as weeks
is better translated as sevens
meaning 70 sevens are decreed for Israel. There is no argument that
the meaning is 70 seven years periods. This, in and of itself is not
sufficient to give us any real information, but all the information
we need is contained in the rest of this passage. - One thing we have
to keep in mind, a Hebrew year was 360 days, as opposed to 365, and
instead of a leap year, every 4th
year, the Hebrew calendar has periodic leap months, in order to make
up for the missing days.

We
also have to keep in mind that this prophecy is written to Daniel's
people, and Daniel's holy city, meaning it is all about Israel, not
the church.

Now,
to the main prophecy – 70 weeks of years are decreed for Israel.
This calculates to 490 years of total history for Israel, with a
specific begin date. The date that the clock on this prophecy begins
is March 14, 445 BC.

One
problem we see here is that the world has obviously gone on for quite
a few more years past 490 from 445 BC, but the prophecy is split into
two parts for a reason.

Notice
that there are 69 weeks of years that take place before anything of
note happens. Gabriel tells Daniel that after the decree goes forth
to rebuild Jerusalem, there will be 69 seven year periods of time
before the Messiah comes.

The
Book of Nehemiah gives us the date that this decree is sent forth:Nehemiah
2:1
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of
Artaxerxes the king, that
wine was
before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it
unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime
sad in his presence.

Traditionally,
in Hebrew writing, if the specific day is not specified, it infers
the first day of the month. So, we know that in the 20th
year of Artaxerxes reign, on the first day of the Month of Nissan,
the king decreed that Nehemiah should return to Jerusalem and rebuild
the wall and the city. 69 seven year periods have now been set in
motion and we know that Messiah the Prince would come at the end of
the 69 sevens. 69 sevens equals 173.880 days, exactly. If you count
173,880 days you come to Sunday, April 6, 32 AD. This is the day
that Christ rode into Jerusalem on a Donkey! The date of Artaxerxes'
decree is verified in historical writings. The calculations to
arrive at the date of Palm Sunday has been confirmed by the British
Royal Observatory through astronomical calculations.

So
emphatic and detailed was he prophecy, that Jesus rebukes the
religious leaders for -4not knowing who He was:
Luke 19:43-44 "For
the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a
barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side
and they will level you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because
you did not recognize the time of your visitation."

Jesus
knows they had the information to determine His coming.

A
mere few days later, on Friday, Jesus is crucified and spends two day
and nights in the tomb... wait a minute, I thought Jesus said that He
would be three
days and nights
in the belly of the earth? Oh, wait a minute, we can also know the
exact date of Passover that year and it was April 10, 32 AD, at
sundown. This would have been Thursday... making Friday a sabbath,
Saturday a Sabbath and Sunday Resurrection, giving Jesus Thursday
night, Friday night and Saturday night in the tomb. Tradition is a
sticky thing sometimes, so much for Good Friday!

Where
the 70 weeks prophecy gets tricky is the 70th
week.

WEEK 12DECEMBER 16

Where
the 70 weeks prophecy gets tricky is the 70th
week.

The
prophecy states that after the 69 weeks, Messiah will be cut
off, but not for Himself.

We
know this happened the Thursday, immediately following Palm Sunday.
So, we can tell by the wording of the prophecy, that the 70th
week does not immediately commence with the revealing of Messiah -

Also,
stated in the Prophecy, is the destruction of Jerusalem, by the
people of the prince who would come(anti-christ) at some undetermined
time after the 69th week. We know that the destruction of
Jerusalem took place in 70 AD, which is far longer than 7 years after
32 AD. So, we can conclude, that there is a gap of time between the
first 69 weeks and the 70th week. What constitutes that
gap, and what sign do we have that the 70th week has
begun?

Shortly
after Christ ascended, 50 days from His resurrection, the feast of
Pentecost took place. On that day, the Holy Spirit came upon the
disciples and 3000 people in the city of Jerusalem were saved. This
is the birth of the Church. If Christ rose on April 13, 50 days
later would be June 2, 32 AD. The church age had a difinitive
beginning. As we have established, the church will have a difinitive
end at the time of the rapture. We see in 2 Thessalonians, a prophecy
concerning the coming of the Ani-christ and what appears to be a
revelation concerning the Holy Spirit:2Th
2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being
gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,

2Th
2:2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit
or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect
that the day of the Lord has come.

2Th
2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come,
unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the son of destruction,

2Th
2:4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or
object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
proclaiming himself to be God.

2Th
2:5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you
these things?

2Th
2:6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be
revealed in his time.

2Th
2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who
now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

2Th
2:8 And then the lawless one
will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of
his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

So, we can
determine that the 70th week cannot commence until there
is no more church on earth.

In
verse 6, the restrainer seems to be an impersonal force, but in verse
7, the restrainer is clearly identified as he, twice. Who would be
restraining the anti-christ? I believe it is the Holy Spirit. I
believe that we have precedent in Job chapter 1 for God restraining
Satan and Satan being allowed to act, only with permission from God:
Job
1:12 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in
your hand. Only
against him do not stretch out your hand."
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

Satan
is under the authority of God. If the restrainer is the Holy Spirit,
notice that He is out of the way. If we are indwelt by the Holy
Spirit, and if the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, we would have
to conclude that the church is removed along with the Holy Spirit.

According
to the prophecy, the 70th week will commence when an
agreement of some sort and half way through that 7 year period, the
agreement will be broken and the prince who would come will have come
and turned against Israel, the literal unfolding of which we will
begin to study in chapter 6 with the opening of the first seal.
There are many who believe this agreement will be a peace treaty, but
the text does not emphatically state this, so we can only speculate
on this point. If you followed left behind, you will remember that
the Tribulation was depicted as having started at the signing of a
peace treaty between Israel and the global leader. The literal
interpretation of the original Hebrew he will strengthen a
covenant with many(or the strong), which
would indicate that there is not an actual peace brokered here but
the confirming of or recognizing of something that has already been
established, and not necessarily a specific treaty dealing with
Israel bur more likely a global covenant of peace. I personally
believe this has to do with the reconfirming or strengthening of the
1948 UN declaration forming the nation of Israel.

Right
now, Israel's neighbors are calling for the destruction or
elimination of Israel. As Iran increases in power and nuclear
capability, and ISIS grows in power and Palestine is creeping closer
and closer to statehood, we can envision a future where the safety
and security of Israel is threatened. Especially as the U S seems to
be stepping back from supporting Israel.

Regardless
of what this actual covenant is, we see the correlation of this 70th
week of Daniel and the opening verses of Revelation 6 and the opening
of the first seal.

With
that, we can look at Revelation 6 – the Tribulation begins

V.
1-2 – first seal – first horseman -The rider on a white horse

A.
We can, by looking at Daniel 9 and 2 Thessalonians see that this is
the Anti-christ revealed to the world.

1.
white horse – mimicking Christ

2.
crown – denotes that he is a political leader: Daniel 8:25 And
through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand;
and he shall magnify himself
in his heart, and by peace
shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of
princes; but he shall be broken without hand. Hebrew
for peace is shalvaw
which comes from the root of Shalom and can also mean peaceably or in
abundance denoting a time of peaceful prosperity.

3.
bow – a symbol of military power – also, interestingly enough,
the word for bow is the same used in the Septuagint of Genesis 9:13
toxon referring to the
Bow that God placed in the sky as a promise to not destroy mankind.
This symbolically loaded passage speaks volumes about what the
Anti-christ is and how he will accomplish his goals.

B.
Some teachers believe this to be Jesus due to the white horse.
Obviously, if Jesus is in heaven removing the seals on the scroll, He
would not be riding out on a white horse.

II.
V 3-4 – second seal, second horseman - red horse - war

III.
V. 5-6 – third seal, third horseman – black horse - famine

A.
a loaf of bread – basic sustenance - will cost a days wage. In
today's dollars about – roughly $170.00. (mean income of
$46,000.00)

B. Wine and
oil spared, denoting luxury items will continue to be available to
those who want them. Rich will continue to prosper while rest of
world suffers. This brings new insight into Jesus' requirements in
the sheep and goat judgment and James' commands to the rich in his
epistle.

Two
weeks ago, we began to look at the beginning of the 7 year
Tribulation which began with the opening of the seals. John, the
Apostle, is in heaven observing Jesus opening the seals of a scroll.
The first 4 seals have been opened and the 4 horseman have come forth
– White, Red, Back, and pale Green. The white horse is the
anti-christ, Red is war, Black is famine and Green is death. ¼ of
the population of the earth is killed with the first 4 seals.

V.
9-11 – The Fifth Seal - these are the souls of the tribulation
martyrs. They are different from those who have been resurrected
and those who have been raptured. These are awaiting God's
vengeance on those who are killing God's people, yet they must wait
until all those who will be martyred join them and God destroys the
godless.

V.
12-17 – The Sixth Seal – this is a momentous event. There are
those who see this as a solely natural event but when you look at
what is taking place, it sounds very much like a nuclear war. The
stars fall could be the missiles, the earthquake could be the
pounding of the explosions, the sun darkening and the moon turning
red could be the results of nuclear clouds and the sky rolling up
like a scroll could very well describe a mushroom cloud. I believe
John witnessed a nuclear attack of some kind, but again, we can only
speculate as to what John is describing.

V.
7:1-8 – Very interestingly, we find a break between the 6th
and 7th seal. Much like the break we see between the
69th and 70th week of years from Daniel's
prophecy.

A.
the 4 angels hold back the wind – everything goes still for a very
important undertaking

B.
The sealing of the 144,000

1.
12,000 from every tribe – sans Dan

2. proof that
the myth of the 10 lost tribes is just that - a myth. The
northern kingdom of Israel was carried off into captivity by
Assyria and other nations were brought into the land. These
others co-mingled with the few real Hebrews left behind and
created a hybrid people called Samaritans. These were never
accepted by the Jews but they practiced a form of Judaism mixed
with the pagan practices of the other nations. Remember Christ's
conversation with the woman at the well when they discussed the
proper way to worship God. Samaritans were not welcome on the
Temple mount so they worshiped on Mt Gerizim. Due to this fact,
there has been much scholarship as to where the lost 10 tribes
disappeared. One very popular idea is that Great Britain is
where many of the tribes migrated and established rule, while the
tribe of Dan migrated to Northern Europe and became the Danish
people. There is quite a bit of circumstantial evidence to
support these theories but the Bible tells us that the lost
10 tribes
are not really lost at all. When the nation divided between
north and south and Jeroboam rejected the Levitical priesthood,
the Levites and anyone who feared God from the other tribes fled
to Jerusalem. 2Chronicles
11:14-16 For the Levites left their common lands and their
holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and
his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the LORD,
and he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the
goat idols and for the calves that he had made. And those who
had set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came after
them from all
the tribes of Israel
to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

The
mystery of the lost tribes is not a mystery at all as many of the
original tribes had left Samaria hundreds of years prior to the
Assyrian captivity. God knows exactly who these people are and right
now. The Old Testament is clear that the 12 tribes will be united
under Messiah, as well: Ezekiel
37:16
-21 "Son of man, take a stick and write on it, 'For Judah, and
the people of Israel associated with him'; then take another stick
and write on it, 'For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house
of Israel associated with him.' And join them one to another into one
stick, that they may become one in your hand. And when your people
say to you, 'Will you not tell us what you mean by these?' say to
them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am about to take the stick of
Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel
associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and
make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. When the sticks
on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, then say to
them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the people of
Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather
them from all around, and bring them to their own land.

Obviously,
God knows exactly who His people are and who they are descended from.

3.
These will be God's witness unto the Gospel, preparing Israel to turn
to God and preparing them to recognize Christ at His coming:Zechariah
12:9-10
And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come
against Jerusalem. "And I will pour out on the house of David
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for
mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced,
they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep
bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

IV.
V. 9-12 – scene shifts from earth back to heaven where a multitude
is seen worshiping God.

V.
V. 13-17 – The Elders, whom we have previously identified as the
raptured church, identify this group as those who are saved during
the Tribulation. These are not the church, as the church is not
exclusively saved during the tribulation as this group is clearly
identified.

WEEK 14JANUARY 13, 2016

Revelation
8 – The seventh seal and 4 trumpets

As
we have previously studied, Christ is removing the 7 seals from a
scroll in heaven. The first six seals have resulted in great
upheaval and death upon the earth, yet much greater upheaval and
death is yet to come. As we look at the opening of the seventh seal
and the blowing of the first 4 trumpets, we will bear witness to
great ecological destruction wrought upon the earth by God, as He
calls mankind to repentance. Remember, He has sent out 144,000
evangelists to proclaim the Gospel in the midst of all this turmoil.
Man is not left without a witness or without an opportunity to accept
the truth.

I.
V. 1-6 – Now, the seventh seal is removed from the scroll by the
Lion of Judah, Christ the Lord and there is silence in heaven for
half an hour. Remember, previously there was great rejoicing and
praise as the multitude of Tribulation martyrs stood before the
throne and gave praise to God for their redemption. Now, at the
opening of the seventh seal, there is silence as the prayers and
petitions of those who were killed for the testimony of Christ are
about to be answered. Rev
6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls
of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness
they had borne.

Rev
6:10 They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy
and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on
those who dwell on the earth?"

Rev
6:11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a
little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their
brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves
had been.

These
are praying to God for vengeance against the evil people who killed
them for their faith. Then in the next chapter, we see the
fulfillment of verse 11:Rev
7:9
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could
number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white
robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Rev
7:10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to
our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

The
worship is silenced as these are about to witness God's answer to
their prayers. As the prayers of the saints are a pleasing incense
in the nostrils of God, the angel takes fire from the altar that is
before the throne and fills the censor or prayers.

This
vision of heaven is God's throne, which was replicated by Moses with
the Tabernacle and later by David and Solomon with the Temple. God
gave specific instructions on the building and set up of the
Tabernacle and Temple. This altar in heaven was represented by the
altar of sacrifice in the Temple. This is the same altar we see in
Isaiah 6:Isa
6:1
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the
temple.

Isa
6:2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he
covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he
flew.

Isa
6:3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is
the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"

Isa
6:4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him
who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isa
6:5 And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

Isa
6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a
burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.

Isa
6:7 And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched
your lips; your guilt is taken away,

The
censor is thrown to earth and the results are identical to the scene
at Mt. Sinai when God gave the 10 commandments to Israel.Exo
20:18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of
lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the
people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off

Exo
20:19 and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen;
but do not let God speak to us, lest we die."

Exo
20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come
to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not
sin."

Exo
20:21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick
darkness where God was.

Exo
20:22 And the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the
people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have talked
with you from heaven.

And
in Hebrews, it is revealed that as God spoke the earth shook: Heb
12:26
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised,
"Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the
heavens."

God
is using the same things from Exodus to reveal that this is from Him.
Who would recognize this, but Israel. These events are meant to
draw Israel's attention back to God.

II.
V. 7- Traditionally, Trumpets in Israel are a call to action. Here,
we see the first trumpet is hail, fire and blood. The prophet Joel
predicted this event when he wrote:Joel
2:29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour
out my Spirit.

Joe
2:30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood and fire and columns of smoke.

Joe
2:31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood,
before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes

Ezekiel
also mentions this event:Ezekiel
38:22 "And I will plead against him with pestilence and with
blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the
many people that [are] with him, an overflowing rain, and great
hailstones, fire, and brimstone."

Amazingly,
this would be the exact results of the tail of a comet passing over
the earth. In fact, history tells us of events when a red dust from
a comet of meteor mingled with rain caused what appeared to be blood
raining on earth. Fire and hail would certainly accompany a comet as
the tail is made up of frozen dust and gas. The larger solid parts
would become fire as they reacted with our atmosphere, much like a
meteorite and the larger pieces of frozen gas would fall as
hailstones.

Blood
rain is not unprecedented, the Roman Philosopher Pliny recorded a
bloody rain over Babylon.

The
results of this event is 1/3 or the earth's vegetation being
destroyed. Imagine the ecological impact of 1/3 of the earth's oxygen
producing organisms being destroyed. Besides the effects of such an
immediate destruction would be soil erosion which would result in
famine and greatly reduced rainfall on the earth and a sharp rise in
greenhouse gas. This sets us up for chapter 11 and the significance
of the 2 witnesses who are able to control the rain

V.
8-9 – the second trumpet is blown and what sounds like a
tremendous meteorite slams into the ocean destroying 1/3 of all
ocean life and 1/3 of the ships at sea. The Pacific Ocean covers
roughly 1/3 of the surface of the earth. If this is a meteor
crashing into the Pacific Ocean and it destroys even half of the
life in that ocean and creates tidal wave events, it could,
conceivably, destroy 1/3 of all ocean life and most, if not all
ships sailing on the Pacific.

This
would impact huge populations of the world that rely on fishing for
sustenance. I imagine that many military ships would be lost,
impacting warfare and defense of many countries. Thinking beyond the
immediate impact of these Trumpets, we also have to consider the long
term impacts and what they mean for the people of all the earth.
These events, while meant to draw Israel back to God will also assist
the coming world leader in consolidating power.

V.
10-11 – The third Trumpet - Wormwood – 1/3 of the fresh water is
destroyed. Interestingly, the Russian word for wormwood is
Chernobyl, or more accurately, wild wormwood. Is it possible that
this is a nuclear or chemical attack that destroys 1/3 of the
earth's fresh water resources?

By
removing food, defense, and water from man, God is showing him the he
cannot rely on his own resources, but ultimately, he must call out to
God for provision and help. God is calling man to acknowledge His
provision and to worship Him as creator and provider.

V.
12-13 – the fourth Trumpet – 1/3 of natural light is gone. -
this could be caused by a number of things. Physically, this could
be caused by nuclear bombs or volcanic activity. History records
volcanic ash blocking the sun for days. Most recently, Mt. St.
Helens blocked the sun 930 miles away. This could also be a
supernatural event. I tend to lean toward volcanic activity, but
again, we cannot know.

After
these 4 trumpets, which certainly seem bad enough, we are told that
the next 3 are going to be very bad indeed! As We continue to look at the Tribulation in light of God's purpose to restore Israel through refinement I would like to include this link to a blog I wrote on Psalm 80 as it deals directly with Israel, as the nation relates to Christ in the Tribulation Psalm 80 and Israel in TribulationWEEK 15JANUARY 27

Chapter 9

I. V.9:1 – The Fifth Trumpet - Here we see a “star” fall to earth,
but the star is given a key and is referred to as he.
We see passages of scripture that equate angels to stars. Rev
1:20As
for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand,
and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of
the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Job
38:7
when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted
for joy? This
passage will become important as we look further into chapter 9

And
also in
Revelation 12:4 -
His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to
the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to
give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

It
is by this passage in Revelation that we get the belief that one
third of the Angels fell with Satan.

So,
here in verse 1, we can safely say that the “star” that falls and
is given a key is an angel

II.
V. 2-10 – The bottomless pit is opened and these creatures are
released that are given the power to torment all those who are not
sealed by God unto salvation. By the description John gives, we can
imagine a grotesque creature, never before seen by human eyes, with
amazing powers to inflict great pain and torment on man. These
creatures may very well be biological or spiritual by nature, but
there is a third possibility – what if these are machines of war,
such as attack helicopters equipped with chemical weapons?

John
describes them as both locusts and
horses dressed for war,
which could be the general shape of an attack chopper.

Crowns
of gold could either be light
reflecting off the windshield or the top part of the rotors.

Human
faces could easily be
explained by the pilot being visible through the windshield.

Hair
like a woman could be the best
way John could describe the spinning rotors.

Teeth
like a lion could be the
description of shark teeth traditionally painted on aircraft during
wartime.

Breastplates
of iron could easily be
described by the armor on an attack helicopter.

Sound
of wings like the sound on many ...horses rushing into battle
would be a very apt description of the sound of a helicopter in
flight.

Again,
this may very well be an actual living creature of some kind, but
given the inability of John to understand modern weapons of war, it
is very likely that this is a description of attack helicopters
flying into battle with chemical weapons.

This
event has supernatural components either way as those sealed by God
are immune to the effects of the attack and the leader over the
attack is not an earthly commander.

V.
11 – the leader over this army is “the angel of the bottomless
pit”, named Abaddon or Apollyon. We may have a clue as to who
this angel is in Genesis 6 and Leviticus 16.

A.
Gen
6:2
the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And
they took as their wives any they chose. Gen
6:4
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward,
when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore
children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men
of renown.

This
is a very controversial passage of scripture. Taken literally, we
know that every
time
the term “sons
of God”
bane
Elohim(Hebrew)
is used in scripture it refers to angels. Remember Job 38:7 that we
looked at earlier, the passage referred to stars and sons
of God(bane
Elohim)
throughout scripture, the term sons of God always refers to angels.

In
Leviticus 16, we are introduced to a character named Azazel.
Leviticus
16:7-10 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the
LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD
and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on
which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, but
the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive
before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away
into the wilderness to Azazel.

According
to the book of Enoch, Azazel is the angel who led other angels into
sin by mating with human women, creating giants on the earth.
According to the book of Enoch, Azazel is chained and dangling over a
bottomless pit awaiting judgment. Both Peter and Jude quote from the
book of Enoch, referencing angels held in chains in a bottomless pit.
2
Peter 2:4aFor
if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into
Tartaros and committed them to chains
of deepest darkness to
be kept until
the judgment;Tartarous
is according to Wikipedia:Tartarus(/ˈtɑːrtərəs/,
TAR-tər-əs; Greek: Τάρταρος Tartaros), in ancient Greek
mythology, is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and
suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans.

Jude
6 And
the angels who did not keep their own position, but left their
proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains
in deepest darkness for the judgment of
the great day.

Apollyon
and Abaddon may very well be referring to Azazel, being released to
bring great warfare on man. I encourage you to research this for
yourself before you just dismiss it and I will also post more
information on the website for further study.

We
cannot say for sure if this angel has any connection to Genesis 6 or
Leviticus 16, but there are surely some similarities that bear
looking into.

FURTHER STUDY: (EXCERPTED FROM A PREVIOUS POST -- Relates Azazel to Abaddon, which means destroyer) Seemingly unrelated to any of this is CERN's Particle Accelerator. According to CERN's own website, subatomic particles called Gravitons seem to enter and exit our universe, suggesting multi-dimentionalism. CERN has postulated that these particles are entering a dimension different from the 4 dimensions of time and space that we experience. Sergio Bertolucci, director of Research and Scientific Computing at CERN, has stated that a door may open and we may send something in and something may come out. CERN has created an opera called Symmetry a trailer may be seen HEREif you watch the video, you will notice the creepy and occultic imagery. Who or what is CERN attempting to contact? Why is a giant statue of Nataraja outside of CERN's headquatrters? According to Wikipedia, "Nataraja (Tamil:"நடராசர்" or Kooththan"கூத்தன்:), The Lord (or King) of Dance), is a depiction of the Hindu GodShiva as the cosmic dancer who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for the god Brahma to start the process of creation." -Wikipedia

The video linked above shows CERN workers doing the dance of Shiva. If CERN is strictly a scientific venture, why would there be such links to spiritism? Who or what is CERN attempting to contact, and for what purpose?.

IV.
V. 12-15 – The Sixth Trumpet – 4 angels who have been bound at
the Euphrates River are released to kill a third of mankind.

V.
16-19 – Here we see these angels leading a 200 million man army
into battle with some very strange creatures. This army, mounted on
what may very well be machines of war, will kill one third of the
people left alive on earth up to this point.

We
see the purpose of this attack in the next two verses

VI.
V. 20-21 – The purpose is to cause the people of earth to repent,
yet they do not. Notice the very specific sins mentioned in verse 21
– murder, sorcery, sexual immorality and theft. These are the very
things that Jesus said came from within a man and made him unclean:
Mat
15:18
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the
heart; and they defile the man.

Mat
15:20 These are the
things
which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a
man.

These
things are what man harbors in his heart, and without the restraint
of faith, these are what will manifest themselves as we can see with
the shape of the world around us. WEEK 16FEBRUARY 10

Chapters
10-11:1-2

10:1-4
– We have studied the 7 seals and 6 of the 7 trumpets of the
Tribulation. The first 4 trumpets brought great upheaval to earth,
but it was announced that the next 3 trumpets would be far worse.
We saw 2 of those trumpets in Chapter 9 and with them descriptions
of either hideous creatures that we cannot even fathom or modern
weapons of war. With the 6th trumpet 1/3 of mankind was
killed on the earth. Now, another angel appears and he announces
the coming of the 7th trumpet.

Down
comes what must be a very large being of light clothed in a cloud and
rainbow. His legs are like pillars of fire and his face is like the
sun. As he lands, he stands with one foot on land and one foot on
the sea and speaks like a roaring lion. 7 thunders sound with a
message, but John is forbidden to write the message he has heard from
the 7 thunders.

V.
5-7 – It is revealed to John that when the trumpet sounds, the
mystery of God would be fulfilled. I believe that this is the
revelation of Jesus Christ to the nation of Israel. We will see in
the next chapter that 2 witnesses will arrive in Jerusalem and
preach the Gospel, preparing Israel for the return of Christ.

V.
8-11 – the angel which came down from heaven has a scroll and John
is instructed to eat the scroll. It is sweet in his mouth but
bitter in his stomach. John is then commanded that he would have to
continue prophesying. We see a similar situation in Ezekiel
3:3 -
And he said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly with this
scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it." Then I
ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

The
word of God is sweet to the forgiven, but to the one for whom the
message of repentance is given, it is bitter. Ezekiel was charged
with delivering a message of condemnation to Israel and the scroll
that John ate seems to have the same type of message as he is charged
with prophesying about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.
John was not delivering a message of peace and safety, but a message
of impending doom for those who are outside the will of God.

Chapter
11

V.1-2
– now we are getting to the half way point of the Tribulation.
Things will move fast from this point and we will look at some
events of this time that are not recorded in Revelation, but are
found in other portions of scripture. We are now introduced to the
3rd Temple. Solomon built the first Temple, which was
destroyed by the Babylonians. About 70 years later, Cyrus, king of
Persia, prompted by a prophecy from Isaiah, sends Ezra, Zerubbabel,
and Jeshua back to Israel to rebuild the Temple. The second Temple
is so basic and simple, those who were alive at the time of the
original Temple weep. This Temple was destroyed by Rome in 70 AD
and no Jewish Temple has existed since.

Some
interesting things we see in these 2 verses. For the first time in
over 2000 years, a Jewish Temple exists. Currently, the Temple mount
is controlled by Islam. The Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque
stand on the Temple Mount and Jews are not allowed in the area.

Something,
between now and this time in Revelation must take place in order for
a third Jewish Temple to be erected on the Temple Mount. It may very
well be the event we read about in Daniel 9:27 And
he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half
of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the
wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the
decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” It
is well established that the “he” and the “desolator” in this
passage is the Anti-Christ. Only an internationally enforced
agreement or treaty of some kind would force the Islamic controlled
Temple Mount to allow a Jewish Temple to exist.

The
measurement of the Temple is 42 months, or 3.5 years. We also see
that the outer court is not to be measured as it is given to the
Gentiles. We can understand that it will be under Islamic control.
Tradition tells us that the Dome of the Rock stands where the
original Temple once stood, but, evidence exists that suggests the
Temple was originally south of the Dome of the Rock. If that is the
case, the Temple and the Dome of the Rock can co-exist on the Temple
Mount making the Dome of the Rock the outer court that John is told
to not measure.

The
Time frame also tells us that we are at the midpoint of the
Tribulation and it probably took about 3.5 years to build the third
Temple. Now the Temple is built, but the time for Gentile trampling
will be 3.5 years.

What
is not recorded in this text, but spoken of by Daniel, Paul and Jesus
is the Abomination of Desolation. Daniel
11:31"And
forces shall stand on his part, and they shall profane the sanctuary,
even the fortress, and shall take away the continual burnt-offering,
and they shall set up the abominationthat
maketh desolate."Daniel
12:11 “And
from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away,
and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a
thousand and two hundred and ninety days."Mark
13:14"But
when you see the abomination
of
desolation
standing
where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those
who are in Judea flee to the mountains."

we do not see this event take place in Revelation,
but in the coming chapters, we will see the results of this event.
In a nutshell, the Anti-Christ will enter the newly built Temple and
declare himself God. When Israel rejects this claim, he will turn
his wrath against Israel, which we will see in the next chapter. 2Thessalonians
2:3-4 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come,
unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself
against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes
his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Apparently,
there will be a time when Israel is able to re-establish the elements
of Temple Worship and sacrifice. What
needs to happen first – The Temple Institute in Israel has crafted
all the furniture and utensils needed for Temple worship. Priests
have are being trained and the priestly garments have been made. Two
things remain, the Temple, itself, to be rebuilt and the locating of
a red heifer. A red heifer is required Numbers
19:3-4&9 And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it
shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. And
Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and
sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting
seven times. And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of
the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And
they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of
the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. The
heifer is required for purification. The required animal is a
genetic anomaly, the Temple Institute believed it had a candidate in
1997 and again in 2002, but both proved to have blemish. They claim
to have a current third candidate and are also in the process of
creating a genetically modified cow that meets the criteria. The
only major obstacle to the third Temple is Islamic insistence that it
not be built.

As
in all things, in God's time this will take place and the right cow
will be found and Israel will re-institute Temple worship . As these
events take place, two very interesting men show up in Israel and
cause quite a stir. We will look at these guys next week and attempt
to identify them.

Revelation 11:3-

V. 3 – We are now introduced to the two
witnesses of the Tribulation. It appears that these two men show up
about the same time the Temple is established. Their ministry will
extend for almost 3.5 years, so presumably, they will be key players
in the second half of the Tribulation.

Based on the sackcloth worn by these men, we see that
their's is a message of repentance. Here is just one of over 40
verses where sackcloth is indicative of mourning and repentance: 1
Chronicles_21:16
And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing
between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out
over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell
upon their faces.

Can we know the identity of these two? History and
scholars have offered three names as primary candidates. Obviously,
only two can be correct, and as the John does not reveal the names,
we can only deduce through scripture. The tree names are Enoch,
Moses, and Elijah. Elijah is the most obvious choice, as we will
see, so we must decide who the other witness might be, Moses or
Enoch. First Elijah – We know that Elijah had an incredible
ministry in Israel and Elijah is one of only two people who never
died. Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire. Malachi
4:5-6 “Behold,
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day
of the Lord
comes.
And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the
hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land
with a decree of utter destruction.”The prophet Malachi
told the Israelites that Elijah would return before Messiah, to
prepare the way. Evey year, Seders around the world take a moment to
look for Elijah and have a place at the table for him, in case he
arrives. There is very little argument that one of these witnesses
is Elijah. Enoch comes into play as he is
the other person who is recorded to not have died in scripture.
Enoch is of the line of Seth to Noah and he was “taken up” prior
to the flood in a preview of the Rapture.Genesis_5:24
Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Enoch
come into play because, as we will see, these two witnesses will be
killed and Hebrews 9:27 tells us “It
is appointed unto a man, once to die, and then judgment.”This passage deals with
reincarnation, and is not a proof that Enoch returns. Lazarus and
others obviously have died twice, having been raised from the dead by
Jesus. There is no hint or mention of Enoch returning to preach
found anywhere in scripture. We can agree that Enoch is probably not
one of the two witnesses.

When John the Baptist was
preaching he was asked specifically if he was Elijah or the Prophet –
a reference to the prophet Moses promised would come one day. So
here we see a reference to Elijah and Moses(Moses more cryptically).
When Jesus shared the
account of Lazarus and the rich man, the rich man was told, Luk
16:29-31 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let
them hear them.'
And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from
the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not hear
Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone
should rise from the dead.'" Here
we see the testimony of Moses and the prophets(represented by Elijah)
as being sufficient for repentance. At
the Transfiguration of Christ, we see Moses and Elijah: Luke
9:29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered,
and his clothing became dazzling white. And
behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared
in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish
at Jerusalem.
As Moses and Elijah prepare Jesus for His departure, it is not a
great leap to deduce that they will also prepare Israel for His
return.

V.4-6
– Here we see that these witnesses are supernaturally protected
and exhibit very similar characteristics of Moses and Elijah in
terms of supernatural ability.

V.
7-8 – Here we see mention of a player whom we are not introduced
to until Chapter 13. This chapter encompasses the final 3.5 years
of the Tribulation. The beast here is the Ant-Christ. The
Ant-Christ will overcome and kill them in Jerusalem. Notice the
description of sin and debauchery that is attributed to Jerusalem
with the names Sodom and Egypt.

V.
9-10 – So powerful was the ministry of the witnesses, the whole
world will rejoice at their death. Imagine the impact these men
will have and the magnitude of the Gospel message that will have
gone out due to their ministry. Also, notice how everyone around
the world will be able to see the bodies lying in the street. Only
through modern tech could such a thing be possible. Satellite
television and internet make such a thing possible. More evidence
that these events are future and not something that took place at
the destruction of the second Temple in 70 AD as some postulate.

V.11-14
– After 3.5 days, the witnesses raise from the dead and in full
sight of all, rise up to heaven. Jerusalem is hit with a massive
earthquake that kills 7000 but notice that the rest of the city
cries out to God, giving Him glory. I believe that this is the
turning point for Israel which ushers in the return of Christ, which
is encapsulated in the next few verses through Chapter 14. The next
few chapters seem to encompass the rest of the Tribulation and then
in Chapter 15, we pick up the chronological narrative.

V.15-19
– I believe that these verses are actually setting us up for the
events about to take place in chapter 19. Notice the events listed
here – Christ has taken His great power, the time for the dead to
be judged, the time for servants to be rewarded – Matthew 25, and
the destruction of the destroyers of the earth. These are all
events that will take place when Christ actually returns. We are
getting a preview or glimpse of coming chapters.

Also,
notable, is the heavens open to reveal the Ark of His covenant. This
is the real Ark, for which the Ark Moses built was a replica.
Remember, the Temple on earth was a replica of the Throne room of
God. WEEK 18FEBRUARY 24Chapter
12We
now come to one of the most difficult to understand passages in
scripture. The temptation to allegorize this passage is great, but
the Bible is not an allegory and must be taken literally. John
describes events that make no sense to the natural mind and but can
be understood in light of history and part of this is a prophecy that
can only be understood with modern technology. Daniel_12:4
But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time
of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."

V.
1-6 – The woman is Israel and the 12 stars represent the 12 tribes
of Israel. The child that is born is Christ and the dragon is
Satan. This much is pretty easy to deduce from the passage. That
is the easy part. These verses seem to represent an undetermined
amount of time leading up to the midpoint of the Tribulation.

A.
Verse one is actually an astronomical sign. A great sign appeared
in heaven – this is actually
an astronomical event that will take place for the only time in
history on September 23 2017. It is only after computer modeling was
invented that we could even know that this astronomical sign would
take place that at all, which puts us in the mind of Daniel's
commandment to seal up a particular prophecy until the tine of the
end. Given that it was Daniel's influence over the Magi that most
likely led to them knowing the time of the Messiah's birth, it gives
us a great deal of food for thought. The sign that takes place is
the sun moves into the house of Virgo, the new moon will be situated
directly below Virgo in the night sky and 9 stars of the
constellation Leo along with 3 planets will appear above the
constellation Virgo to give us 12 crowns.Let
me be absolutely clear, I am not predicting the rapture to take place
on September 23 2017, nor am I making any particular prediction about
the time of the rapture. I am simply pointing out the God has given
us a sign post to watch for, just as He gave a sign to the Magi who
arrived at Jesus' house bearing gifts. I encourage you to
investigate the correlation of the signs of the Zodiak or Mazzoreth,
as it is called in the book of Job and the Gospel message and you
will be amazed to find that God detailed the entire Gospel message in
the heavens. Psalm
19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above
proclaims His handiworkB.
v.2-6 – Astronomically we will see this play out in the heavens,
but this also represents real events. The dragon represents Satan
and this passage is where we get the belief that Satan took 1/3 of
the angels with him in his rebellion. We
also identify the child as Jesus as He is the one who will rule the
nations. This may also be an allusion to the Body of Christ being
raptured as we see the Greek word harpozo
used, the same word used in 1 Thessalonians in reference to the
rapture: 1Thessalonians
4:16 -17 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of
command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then
we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be
with the Lord. Harpazo
denotes
a snatching away, almost in a violent sense. It is sometime after
the Harpazo
that
the woman, Israel, flees into the wilderness for the remaining 3.5
years of the Tribulation. II.
V7-11 – This is a description of a real battle that will take place
between the Archangel Michael and Satan. Satan is defeated and
thrown out of heaven once and for all. Prior to this, we see Satan
entering heaven at will and conversing with God:Job
1:6
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

Job
1:7 The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?"
Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the
earth, and from walking up and down on it."

Here
we see Satan banned from heaven for good amidst great rejoicing No
longer will Satan have the power to accuse God's people.III.
V. 12-17 – the inhabitants of heaven are rejoicing as Satan no
longer has access but the earth is now in trouble. Satan first sets
his eyes to attack Israel. I believe this is the abomination of
desolation of which Jesus warned Israel to flee from. And as Satan
attempts to pour out his wrath upon Israel, God supernaturally
protects her. Because Satan cannot destroy Israel, he turns his
attention to those who have come to Christ during this time. We find
this compelling verse in the midst of references to the Tribulation
in Psalms – Psalm
60:4-5 – You have set up a banner for those who fear you, that they
may flee to it from the bow, that your beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer us. This
passage is pregnant with meaning. Remember that the rider on the
white horse, identified as the Anti-Christ, carries a bow. Jesus
tells His disciples that any one in Jerusalem for the abomination of
desolation must flee, and we wee God helping Israel flee to a place
designed to protect her from Satan. Notice that as they are in
hiding, they call out for salvation from God's right hand. Who sits
at the right hand of the Father, Jesus. Israel is protected from
Anti-Christ, and cries out to Jesus for salvation and it is all
recorded for us in the book of Psalms!WEEK 19MARCH 2Chapter
13 – The Anti-christ

We
are now going to get a good look at the first horseman, the rider on
the white horse.

V.
1-2 – Rising out of the sea denotes he is human and comes out of
the sea of humanity. Daniel_9:26
And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and
shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a
flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
This
passage refers to Rome destroying Jerusalem in 70 AD. From this
passage, we can know that the Anti-Christ comes out of the Roman
empire described in Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2 in which God
gave the king a vision of all the major kingdom's of the earth. In
the vision, Nebuchadnezzar saw Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and
Rome. Rome is divided into 2 regions and depicted in the last days
as a very uncohesive union described as iron mixed with clay. When
Daniel refers to the people of the prince who would come, we know
that the people were the Roman empire and the prince who would come
is Anti-Christ so simple deduction leads us to know that the
Anti-Christ will come out of what was once the Roman empire. This
does not mean he will be necessarily European, as Constantinople was
in the region of modern day Turkey and very much part of the Roman
Empire. More on this later.

We
see the beat has great political authority due to the heads crowns
and horns. The heads represent nations, the horns represent power
and the crowns represent rulership and he has his authority from
Satan himself, in fact, many scholars believe that Satan actually
indwells the Anti-Christ for the last half of the tribulation. The
leopard, bear lion, and dragon all make reference to the previous
empires named by Daniel and I encourage you to read through Daniel 7
and see these 4 beasts and what they represent. This leads us to
believe that the anti-christ will have descendancy from all 4
empires.

V.3-10
– We know that the Anti-Christ will suffer a mortal wound and have
a resurrection of some kind. It is believed that Satan, having been
thrown to earth, indwells the body of the Ant-Christ, mimicking the
resurrection of Christ. He will at this time begin to make
pronouncements against God and all things holy. I imagine the lie
that God does not exist is no longer viable, so Satan will blatantly
attack the nature and character of God – the same thing he did in
the garden. The Anti-Christ will establish world dominion and
attack the saints, God's people, and he will have victory over God's
people. These are the offspring of Israel mentioned in the previous
chapter. The saints are called to persevere through this great
persecution.

V.11-15
– We are now introduced to the false prophet. This false prophet
will be a religious figure who has power similar to the two
witnesses and will direct worship to the Anti-Christ. The false
prophet will promote an image of the beast that will have the power
to kill. If you have seen the ad for JIBO, you will see how this
technology is already in development. Interestingly, the Latin for
the image
of the beast shall be slain is
imaginem
bestiae occidantur
could JIBO be an acronym for John's Image of the Beast kills
unbelievers (occidantur)?

Is this the technology of the image of the Beast?

V.
16-18 – This is the infamous mark of the Beast. The false prophet
will cause all mankind to have this mark placed on him for economic
purposes. This will accomplish 2 things – 1. control over a
worldwide economy 2. the damnation of every person who allows this
mark to be put on them. We do not know what the mark will be, it
has been postulated as a tattoo, a barcode, or a microchip. It may
be a combination of all three.

Interesting
parallels to the Islamic Messiah and the Anti-Christ: Mahdi
or 12th Imam – He will set up a New World Order and
destroy all the enemies of Islam – he will establish his throne on
the Temple Mount and attack Israel to slaughter all Jews –
according to Islam, he will come riding on a white horse ala
Revelation 6:2 and he will rule for 7 years. Issa
– Islamic Jesus will come, pray to the Mahdi, acknowledge that the
Mahdi is Lord and make a trip to Mecca. Issa will then tell his
followers (christians) that Allah is the one true god and that Mahdi
is to be worshiped and that Islam is the one true religion. And he
will kill DajjalDajjal
– the great deceiver who comes to earth on a mule and performs
false miracles to lead people away from Allah. Dajjal will claim to
be the the Messiah and then he will claim to be GodJohn MacArthur explains this far better than I can so here is his message on this topic

You
can see that Islam has taken the Biblical Anti-Christ, False Prophet
and Messiah and completely reversed the roles of each one calling
good evil and evil good. Isaiah
5:20
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for
light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter! WEEK 20MARCH 9CHAPTER
14 -Chapter
14 continues in what I refer to as a parenthesis in the narrative.
We see chronology until we get to Chapter 10 and we do not pick up
chronology until chapter 15. Chapters 10-14 give an overview of
events taking place in the latter half of the tribulation. As we go
into this passage, we must keep in mind that John is viewing these
events from a spiritual perspective and many of the things he sees
and describes will not be seen or perceived by the people on earth as
John sees them. This is important to keep in mind as we get into
verse 1 of chapter 14

V.
1-5 – We see the redemption of the 144,000 Jews who were sealed by
God back in chapter 7. In verse 1 it says John saw the Lamb on Mt.
Zion with the 144,000. We know that when Christ returns,
physically, it will be a worldwide event and Mt. Zion will actually
split in two. John is seeing this rapture of the 144,000 from a
spiritual perspective. Remember, Jesus is in the Throne room, but
here we are told He is on Mt. Zion with the chosen. John sees this
from a spiritual perspective and I do not believe this will be
something that will be perceived by mankind. Jesus is rapturing
this group as He raptured the church back in chapter 4. In verse
2-3 we see clearly that the 144,000 are in heaven singing a new song
that only they could know.

A.
v4 refers to them as firstfruits, this could suggest that this
event will take place on a specific date, the feast of firstfruits
and it also is a prelude to the fact that God will redeem His
people at His second coming. Last chapter we are told that the
saints will be persecuted and overcome, this passage promises
redemption of the saints. Though they are overcome physically,
they will be glorified spiritually.B.
v.4-5 also describes the commitment these 144,000 made to God in
purity and obedience.

V.6-7
– Lest we believe god has left the people of earth without
testimony, after the 144,000 are removed, an angel actually flies
around the earth proclaiming the Gospel. Every person on earth will
have had a supernatural experience in hearing the Gospel. It is no
wonder that the Ant-Christ will resort to attacking the person and
nature of God rather than denying His existence, as we saw in the
previous chapter. Those who take the mark of the beast will have
had every opportunity to know the truth and to reject Satan. Those
with the mark will not have been tricked.

V.
18 alludes to the events we will see in chapters 17-18 with the
destruction of Babylon. We will look at the different views of what
Babylon is and where it is located.

V.9-11
- this is a warning against accepting the mark of the beast, which
we saw in the previous chapter. Those who receive it cannot be
redeemed and they have been warned by an angel proclaiming the
truth.

V.12-13
is an encouragement to the believers who are persecuted and attacked
by the beast, as was described in the precious chapter. Death will
actually be a blessing to those who serve God at this point, that is
how terrible the persecution will be for them. Remember, the true
believer will be demonstrating his faith by caring for the poor and
persecuted. Death will be a rest from work and a rest from
persecution. The Apostle Paul recognized the value of death for the
persectued believer as he sat in a Roman prison and declared
Philippians_1:21
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Paul
understood that he lived to serve God and to do His work but death
would actually be beneficial as He would be in the presence of God
and resting from his labors.

V.14-20
– Here is a preview of Armageddon, which we will look at more
closely in chapter 19. Psalm 18 also gives us a pretty good
description of these events: Psalm
18:3-19 I will call upon the LORD, who
is worthy
to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men
made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares
of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and
cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry
came before him, even
into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations
also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth
devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and
came down: and darkness was
under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he
did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret
place; his pavilion round about him were
dark waters and
thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness that
was
before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones
and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the
Highest gave his voice; hail stones
and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered
them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. Then the
channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were
discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy
nostrils He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many
waters He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which
hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in
the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. He brought me
forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted
in me.

WEEK 21

MARCH 23

Chapter
15 - Prelude to the Seven Plagues

We
now come to the return of Chronology. The last 5 chapters were
parenthetical in nature, meaning they took a break from the
chronology of events and went on to explain events that would be
taking place over the last 3.5 years of the tribulation period. We
were introduced to the 2 witnesses who would preach from Jerusalem
and would be killed, resurrected and ascended toward the end of the
tribulation. We saw the rapture of the 144,000 Jews and an angel
proclaiming the Gospel to the whole world. We saw the rise of the
Anti-Christ and his persecution of Israel and other tribulation
saints, and we saw a glimpse into his destruction. The opening
verses of chapter 15 return us to the narrative we left at the end of
chapter 9. We are now in the second half of the Tribulation. Many
of the things we studied in the past 5 verses are yet to take place
but will be part of the events unfolding in the next 5 chapters.

V.1
– John's view shifts from events on earth to events in heaven,
once again. He sees7 angels who have the 7 plagues that will
complete the wrath of God, being poured out on mankind. Remember,
at this point, Satan is reigning on earth and has established his
image and mark, people will knowingly and willingly receive the mark
of the beast and worship his image. God's wrath will not be
something unwarranted but will be poured out on those who have
deliberately rebelled against Him. This will be the period of time
in which Jesus spoke in Matthew 24 - Matthew
24:9-22"Then
they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and
you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.And
then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one
another.And
many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.And
because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow
cold.But
the one who endures to the end will be saved.And
this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."So
when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet
Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),\then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.Let
the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his
house,and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his
cloak.And
alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing
infants in those days!Pray
that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.For
then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the
beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.And
if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved.
But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

V.
2-4 – here we see a the sea of glass which we saw in chapter 4.
Rev
4:6
and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like
crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four
living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:This
sea of glass is before the throne of God and this time we see a new
group of people standing before God, “those who had conquered the
beast”. This is a very interesting description, as we were told
in chapter 12 and 13 that the Anti-Christ would attack and overcome
the saints: Rev
12:17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to
make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the
commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood
on the sand of the sea. Rev 13:7 Also it was allowed to make war on
the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over
every tribe and people and language and nation, Yet,
here, in chapter 15, we are told that those who stand on the sea of
glass are those who have overcome
the beast, his image and mark. I submit to you that what the world
sees as defeat is victory in Christ. These
are killed for their faith, yet are considered victors in the eyes
of God. The Apostle Paul recognized this truth as he wrote to the
Philippian church: Philippians
1:21-23
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live
in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall
choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire
is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better We
are not to fear death as believers, we are to see death as the final
victory over sin and the flesh 1Corinthians
15:53 -55 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and
this mortal body must put on immortality.
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on
immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
"Death is swallowed up in victory."
"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

The
martyrs of the tribulation will sing the song of Moses. T here are 3
passages which record songs of Moses, but the only one that fits this
group is the one found in Deuteronomy 32 : Deuteronomy
32:43
“Rejoice
with him, O heavens;bow
down to him, all gods,for he avenges the blood of his children and
takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and
cleanseshis
people’s land.”Moses came and recited all the words of this song
in the hearing of the people, he and Joshuathe
son of Nun.As
these sing the song of Moses, they also look to the day that will
come when Christ returns to earth, establishes His throne in
Jerusalem and all the nations of the earth come to Him and worship. Zechariah
14:16-17 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have
come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the
King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.
And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to
worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them.

V.
5-8 – The true temple and sanctuary, which is God's throne room,
is opened and the an angel gives the 7 angels from verse 1, 7 bowls
or vials, depending on your translation. These 7 bowls of judgment
will be what Jesus was talking about in chapter 24 of Matthew. This
will be an unprecedented time of turmoil and death. So terrible is
God's wrath and judgment on mankind, that no one may enter His
presence until this awesome display on His power and wrath is
completed. In the next chapter we will see the pouring out of these
judgments and then Chapters 17 and 18 will once again take a break
and describe a specific event that will have taken place during the
latter part of the last 3.5 years. Next week, we will look at the
bowl judgments.

WEEK 22

APRIL 6

Revelation
16 – Seven bowls of God's wrathIn
the last chapter we saw the prelude to what is about to take place.
Seven angels holding the seven last plagues are about to pour out
God's final wrath on earth. 15:1 tells us God's wrath will be
completed by the pouring out of these seven plagues. 15:8 revealed
these plagues to be so horrific and so final that no one is able to
enter into God's presence while they are being poured out. These
plagues are poured out on the enemies of God and we will see that
there is no repentance, only anger and blasphemy toward God.

V1-2
– the first plague is a physical attack on those who have taken
the mark and is pretty self explanatory

V.
3 – Now we see the sea and everything in it afflicted. In chapter
8 we see one third of the sea turned to blood and one third of the
living creatures in it killed. Here, the blood and death is total.
Remember, the mark was economic as well as religious. Imagine the
impact on the economy this would have when all fishing is ended by
God. Remember, the earth has undergone great ecological
destruction, one third of agriculture has been destroyed. This is a
direct hit on the anti-christ's ability to feed his followers\

V.4-7
– Now we see the fresh water being destroyed and the angel reveals
why this has happened – so many of God's people had been slain
and so much of their blood had been spilled, God is giving the
anti-christ and his people blood to drink Isa
51:21-23 Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted, who are drunk,
but not with wine: Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who
pleads the cause of his people: "Behold, I have taken from your
hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no
more; and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have
said to you, 'Bow down, that we may pass over'; and you have made
your back like the ground and like the street for them to pass
over." .Remember,
those who have taken the mark have basically trusted in the
anti-christ to protect them and care for them in return for worship.
God is taking away his ability to provide for his people who are
worshiping him as god. These people have irrevocably entered into a
religious covenant with a false god who cannot make good on his end
of the bargain.

V.8-9
– Now the sun is affected and the very thing that was designed by
the Creator to sustain life is destroying it because dominion over
creation has temporarily been give over to Satan, by demand of the
creation. Notice the response – the people curse God for
exercising authority over His own creation. These people acknowledge
God but only to curse Him. There is no sense of responsibility as
mankind continues to believe his path is correct.

V.
10-11 – as man curses God and the sun God plunges them into
darkness. This seems to be a regional curse that affects the
anti-christ's base of operations. Man's response is to continue
cursing God and following Satan.

V.
12 – Here we see the great river Euphrates dry up to allow a path
for the armies of the east to march towards the promised land.
Ironically, God promised Abraham the land between the Nile and
Euphrates. Israel only got the land just beyond the Jordan, never
having received from God the fullness of the Abrahmic Covenant:
Genesis
15:18
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To
your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the
great river, the river Euphrates, This
promise will be fulfilled at the second coming. Now, the Euphrates
is dried up and the kings of the East are able to join forces with
the anti-christ in his attack against Israel. The ant-christ's
kingdom is in disarray due to the plagues. The kings of the East
are most likely China and it's allies in the Orient

Interestingly,
for the past year, there have been numerous articles on the Euphrates
and Tigris rivers drying up. Partially from natural causes and
partially from dams and levees. ISIS has been actively drying up the
river in southern Iraq, which has caused an increase in snake
attacks due to the loss of natural habitat from the Euphrates drying
up.

V13-16
– Now Satan, the ant-christ and the false prophet send out
demonic spirits to call all the nations aligned with them to join
in battle against Israel in the Meggiddo Valley. Jesus takes this
time to remind His people that He will be coming for them and that
they are to hold fast. I believe that at this point Israel has mad
a confession of faith in Jesus as Messiah, and He is reassuring
them that they will be saved.

V.
17-21 – the final bowl is poured out and is poured out on the air
because the air is the realm of Satan. Ephesians
2:1-2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you
once walked, following the course of this world, following the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in
the sons of disobedience— Because
Satan is the prince of the power of the air, God's final act of
wrath is directed specifically at Satan and his real. Then the
earth is upheaved. Mountains are destroyed, islands are flooded
away and 100 pound hailstones fall on and crush people. The
response from the people is a continued cursing of God. Wrath does
not bring repentance, wrath is the result of a refusal to repent.
Grace brings repentance. We preach wrath only that we can make a
case for grace.

The
cities of the nations are crushed and Babylon is specifically
mentioned. The next two chapters will deal with Babylon and it's
destruction. WEEK 23APRIL 13Chapters
17 & 18Here,
in the next two chapters, we will study the religious system of the
Anti-Christ and it's destruction. Remember, there is a false
religion that directs all worship to Satan and the Anti-Christ. This
religious system originated in the time of Nimrod at the tower of
Babel. Every pagan religious system finds it's roots at the tower of
Babel and the sun god worship established by Nimrod and his
predecessors. Today, this religious system is practiced by one of
the largest religious groups on earth, whose current leader is
leading them further and further away from Biblical truth.

V.
1-6 – A.
There is a major clue in the description that lead us to understand
the prostitute is a religious system.

prostitute/sexual
immorality – Jeremiah
2:20 "Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds;
you said, 'I will not serve you!' Indeed, on every high hill and
under every spreading
tree\ you
lay down as a prostitute."
Matthew 16:4 A
wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there
shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.
And he left them, and departed.Whenever
we see these terms used in scriptures it refers to a group that
claims to follow God, yet engages in idol worship. This leads us to
believe that the woman on the beast is a religious system that claims
affiliation with Biblical worship. Never do we see God refer to
outright paganism as adultery or prostitution. 2
Kings_16:3
but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his
son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the
nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. When
referring to the religion of the nations, God refers to them as
despicable practices, but when Israel participated in these
practices, it was called adultery and prostitution. B.
John is astonished at the fact that this woman is drunk with the
blood of the martyrs. Would he have been astonished had this been an
obviously pagan or evil entity?

V.
7-9 – this woman is associated with the anti-christ and his
religious system and is seen seated on it.

V.
10-11 – seven world empires – Egypt, Assyria, Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, Rome II. Satan himself becomes the 8th
king and his end is hell.

V.
12-14 – there will be 10 kings who work together with and for the
Anti-Christ deferring to his leadership and these 10 kings will join
in the attack against Israel and ultimately be destroyed by Christ
upon His return

V.
15-17 – at some point, the nations that this religious system
thinks it rules over will overthrow the woman and destroy her. I
believe that will be the point where the worship of the beast and
the mark will be employed. When the Ant-Christ no longer needs a
religious system to disguise his intent, he will destroy it and all
worship will be directed to him.

Chapter
18:1-3 – Now, the very land where this false religion has it's
headquaters is destroyed and the place becomes worthless for human
habitation and becomes a home for evil spirits.

V.
4 – another clue that this religious system has some correlation
to the God of the Bible as there are some of God's people associated
with it.

V.
5-8 – due to the spiritual nature of her sins, the woman's
destruction will be swift and powerful. By the nature of the
destruction, it is evident that God is extremely displeased with the
nature of sin committed by the woman

V.9-24
– there will be a great economic upheaval with the loss of the
false religion which may open the door to the mark of the beast
economic system. Governments and nations will be adversely affected
by the destruction. The false religious system is so evil it is
credited with killing prophets, saints and all who have been slain
on the earth.

We
must be careful to test the spirits 1John
4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into
the world. This
religious system will appear to be Biblical and there will be some of
God's people actually associated with it prior to it's destruction.
Today, there are many religious organizations that pretend to be
Christian and are destructive. We must be careful that what we
believe and what we practice lines up with scripture. WEEK 24APRIL 20

Revelation
19 – the return of Christ We
finally come to the end of the 70th
Week of Daniel. We will see the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy,
we will see the public presentation of the Bride of Christ, and the
undoing of Satan and his minions, including the anti-christ and false
prophet.

V.
1-5 – Great rejoicing takes place in heaven over the destruction
of the false religion that deceived so much of the world and killed
so many of God's true followers.

V.
6-8 – along with the King of kings, returning to take His throne,
comes the Bride, having been adorned in works of righteousness at
the Bema seat while earth received wrath and judgment form God and
Israel was refined unto repentance.

1
Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it,
because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort
of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the
foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is
burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but
only as through fire.

2
Corinthians 5:10 For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one
may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad.The
consummation of the marriage between Jesus and His church will have
taken place for one “week” in heaven, in the form of the testing
of our works in fire. What comes out as righteousness will be what
we are clothed in.

In
ancient Israel the marriage feast was the last step in a long process
that was meant to reveal God's plan for His church.

Betrothal
– the period when the Bride is committed to the groom, we can see
that as the time of salvation. We belong to Christ but are not yet
living with Him in the place He has gone to prepare for us.

Marriage
– the Groom goes to the brides home and brings her home to His
Father's house to consummate the wedding in a wedding chamber where
the Bride is tested for purity. This was a 7 day seclusion in which
the Groom and His bride remained in the marriage chamber.

Marriage
Feast – at the end of the the 7 days, the bride having been found
pure on the first night, both bride and Groom exit the wedding
chamber and engage in a very public celebration called the Marriage
Feast or Supper.

We
see this scenario enacted in the church by Christ calling His church
home in the Rapture, 7 years, (the 70th
Week of Daniel) where the church stands before the Bema seat of
Christ and all works are tested and rewarded accordingly. At the end
of the testing period, the Groom is ready to publicly present His
bride, the church, adorned in white to signify purity.

V.
9 – now for the guests of the marriage feast: In Matthew 22 Jesus
told a parable about a marriage feast where those who are unworthy
are not permitted to enter into the feast. The process Christ
employs to determine who can come into the marriage feast is found
in Matthew 25 where Jesus separates those who have come through the
Tribulation without taking the Mark and determines their faith by
the way they behaved.

V.10-16
– This is the most glorious event in human history, the coming of
the King of glory to destroy the enemies of His people and establish
a blessed kingdom on Earth of which there will be no end.

A.
His name is the Word of God – John
1:1 – In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and
the Word was God John
1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his
glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and
truth.

B.
He is the King of Kings -
Jeremiah 33:16 - 17 In those days Judah will be saved, and
Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will
be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.' "For
thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the
throne of the house of Israel,

This
passage is a rebuke to King Zedekiah whose name is translated
righteousness
of God.
The point is that one day God Himself will rule over Israel on the
throne of David.

He
will rescue and rule Israel – Zechariah
12:10 “And
I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when
they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn
for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over
him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

Isaiah
11:12
He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the
banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the
four corners of the earth.

Psalm
48:1-8A Song. A Psalm
of the Sons of Korah.
Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our
God! His holy mountain,
beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion,
in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels
God has made himself known as a fortress. For behold, the kings
assembled; they came on together. As soon as they saw it, they
were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight.
Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor.
By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish. As we have
heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the
city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah.

This
passage leads us right into the last part of Revelation 19

V.
V. 17-21 – This is a very one sided battle. Christ returns in
all His glory and destroys the armies that are arrayed against
Israel and the destruction and death is such that the carrion
birds are called to gorge themselves on the flesh of the dead.
Notice that the Ant-Christ and the false prophet are not killed
but thrown alive into hell. These are the first inhabitants of
hell, as best we can tell. These two do not even stand in
judgment but are cast into eternal

torment, so evil and so
intentional are there actions against God.

This
is the battle of Armageddon which ushers in the 1000 year reign of
Christ. WEEK 25APRIL 26Revelation
20:1-5 – 1000 year reign of Christ and fulfillment of God's
promises to Israel Now
we will be studying the fulfillment of all God's promises that were
made to Abraham concerning the land and to David concerning the
throne. Abraham was promised the land from the Nile river to the
Euphrates, as we saw talked about back in chapter 16: Genesis
15:18
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To
your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great
river, the river Euphrates, Israel
will take possession of the land and Jesus will reign on the throne
of Israel with David as a co-regent: Ezekiel
37:24 "My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall
all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to
obey my statutes.This
will be a time of unprecedented peace and almost Garden of Eden
conditions.

v.
1-3 – The first thing that happens here is the devil is imprisoned
for the duration of 1000 years. This removes the influence of the
enemy over mankind. All sin, of which there will be far less, will
be that which comes from within a man. Isaiah
65:20
No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or
an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall
die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be
accursed. Most
scholars agree that this passage infers that there will be little
sin during the reign of Christ and that people who sin badly enough
will be cut off.

V.
4-5 – Christ rules for 1000 years, along with those who are part
of the first resurrection.A.
First we see thrones set up for those who are given authority to
judge. Those given authority to judge are the church, we know this
because the Apostle Paul tells us in 1
Corinthians 6:3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How
much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So,
we know that the church is identified in this passage, having been
presented publicly at the second coming in chapter 19. B.
Next we see a resurrection, but it is a limited resurrection of
believers who died during the Tribulation.
those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not
received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to
life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years...This is the
first resurrection. The
first resurrection is actually in 3 parts –1.
Christ's resurrection:
1Corinthians 15:22-24 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ
shall all be made alive. But
each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming
those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the
kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every
authority and power. 2.
The rapture: 1Corinthians
15:51-52
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be
raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 1Thessalonians
4:14-17 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even
so, through Jesus, God
will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For
this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are
alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede
those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend
from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ
will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air, and so we will always be with the Lord. John
14:3And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take
you to myself, that where I am you may be also.3.
the resurrection of the tribulation saints here in this passageC.
Millennial Reign – we do not find much information about the 1000
year reign of Christ here, but, the Old Testament prophets had
plenty to tell about this period of time.

there
will be a Temple: Ezekiel
40:4-5
And the man said to me, "Son of man, look with your eyes,
and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall
show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it
to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel."
And behold, there was a wall all around the outside of the temple
area

Christ
will reign from the Temple:
Ezekiel 43:6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard one
speaking to me out of the temple,
and he said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my
throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell
in the midst of the people of Israel forever.

There
will be a river flowing out from the Temple: Ezekiel
47:1-6 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and
behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple
toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was
flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the
temple, south of the altar. Then he brought me out by way of the
north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate
that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling
out on the south side. Going on eastward with a measuring line
in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me
through the water, and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured a
thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep.
Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and
it was waist-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and it was a
river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It
was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed
through. And
he said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then
he led me back to the bank of the river.

Gentile
nations will come and worship Christ in Jerusalem: Zechariah
14:16-17
Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come
against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the
King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. And if
any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to
worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on
them.

Animals
will be harmless:
Isaiah
11:6-9
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie
down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the
fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The
cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down
together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing
child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child
shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or
destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of
the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
(incidentally, this is probably the most misquoted passage of
scripture. Nowhere does it ever say, “and the lion will lay
down with the lamb.”)

There
are myriad other passages in the Old Testament speaking of this time,
we will conclude with the words of the Psalmist as he looked forward
in time in anticipation of this glorious age: Psalm
98:1-9A
Psalm.
Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His
right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD
has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in
the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and
faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have
seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all
the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing
praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of
melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise
before the King, the LORD! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their
hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD, for he
comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equityWEEK 27MAY 5Revelation 20:7-15, 21:1-8As we saw last week, much of
what we know about the millennial reign, we learn form the Old
Testament prophets. Very little is discussed here in this passage,
in fact, we skip over about 1000 years in one verse. In verse 6 we
are told that there will be a thousand years and in verse 7 we pick
up at the end of the thousand years.

V. 7-8 – At the
beginning of this chapter, we are told that Satan is bound with a
great chain and imprisoned. Now, we move forward 1000 years and
Satan is released. Satan gathers a massive army and moves against
Israel. Interestingly, we see here two names that pop up in the
book of Ezekiel: Gog and Magog. In Ezekiel 38, we are told of an
attack that will take place in which Gog, the chief prince of Magog
will attack Israel with a coalition made up of Iran, Turkey, Syria,
Somalia and possibly Libya. Magog can be identified as Russia and
God, the chief prince, is most likely not a human leader, but a high
ranking official of Satan in the spirit realm. A careful reading of
Ezekiel 38 and 39 clearly demonstrates that the Ezekiel Magog
invasion cannot be the same as the one mentioned here.

As an aside, Amos 7:1 says: This is what the
Lord GOD showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter
growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter
growth after the king's mowings. Which in
and of itself, does not make much sense, but in the Greek Septuagint
version calls the king of the locusts Gog: “Thus
the Lord showed me, and behold, a swarm of locusts coming early, and
behold, one locust, Gog, the king.” This
could possibly tie in to the locusts from the bottomless pit in
chapter 9 who were ruled over by Abbadon/Apollyon. Nonetheless, Gog
seems to be a ruler in spiritual realms who consistently leads
attacks against Israel.

V.9-10 – Instantly Jesus
destroys His enemies and Satan is thrown directly into the lake of
fire. Satan is given no trial, no opportunity to repent or explain
himself, he receives instant judgment.

Something else that we should
note here, as well, 1000 years after being thrown into the lake of
fire, the Anti-Christ and the false prophet are still in the lake of
fire and still burning in torment as they will be for all eternity.
This debunks misconceptions and false doctrines concerning hell:
Hell is not annihilation as the Jehovah Witnesses and 7th
Day Adventists and Hell is not a temporary state that eventually
purifies the lost and allows them to enter heaven.

v. 11-15 – There is no
more earth, there is no more heaven, the only thing in the universe
is God's throne of judgment: This is the final judgment know as the
Great White Throne. Books are opened and people are judged. Death,
Hades, the abode of the dead and the lost are cast away from God's
presence, into the lake of fire.

Chapter 21:1-8 – Heaven
and earth have been remade, there is no more sea, and the city New
Jerusalem comes down out of the new heaven and is now the dwelling
place of God and His people. Now, God will dwell with His people
and sin does not separate us from Him. This is when every tear is
wiped away, this is when death and sickness and all hardships are no
more. This is when hunger and thirst and pain are no more.

We also see, once
more, the term Alpha and Omega which Jesus used to identify Himself
in chapter one: Revelation
1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the
Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Here we have a clear statement of the
deity of Christ.

WEEK 28MAY 18

V. V.9 Now there is no longer the elect or the
grafted, all are unified together as one: Ephesians
1:4-14 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in
love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in
the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein
he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made
known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure
which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the
fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even
in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise
of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted,
after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:
in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Possibly
Isaiah saw the same vision that John is about to describe in the next
verses: Isaiah
54:11-14
"O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I
will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with
sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of
carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. All your children
shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your
children.

In
righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from
oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not
come near you.

V.10-17
– Down comes the New City of Jerusalem – the city is basically a
shining bright cube of precious stone. The literal size of this
city is astounding – 12,000 stadia is roughly 1,400 miles. So it
is 1,400 miles long, wide and high. From the bottom tip of Florida
to top of Maine is 1,595 miles. The International Space Station is
250 miles above the earth. This city will reach over 6 times that
height. 12 foundations would suggest that there are 12 levels and
if that is so, each level will have nearly 2 million square miles.
The spaciousness of this city is beyond our ability to fathom. The
majesty of the jewels so pure that they are clear and light shining
through and reflecting off, this will be truly dazzling.

V.
18-25 – Some of the stones we see here are familiar to us and
others not so much. Scholars and historians argue as to what these
stones are in today's language. The following charts borrowed from
www.spiritandtruthministries.org

12 Foundations of the New
Jerusalem And the 12 Apostles

List Order

Foundation

Matthew List

Mark List

Luke List

Acts List

Conclusion List

1

Jasper

Simon Peter

Simon Peter

Simon Peter

Simon Peter

Simon Peter

2

Sapphire

Andrew

James Zebedee

Andrew

James (Zebedee)

Andrew of James (Zebedee)

3

Chalcedony

James Zebedee

John

James (Zebedee)

John

John or James (Zebedee)

4

Emerald

John

Andrew

John

Andrew

John or Andrew

5

Sardonyx

Philip

Philip

Philip

Philip

Philip

6

Sardius

Bartholomew

Bartholomew

Bartholomew

Thomas

Bartholomew (or Thomas)

7

Chrysolite

Thomas

Matthew

Matthew

Bartholomew

Matthew (or Thomas or Bartholomew)

8

Beryl

Matthew

Thomas

Thomas

Matthew

Thomas or Matthew

9

Topaz

James son of Alphaeus

James of Alphaeus

James of Alphaeus

James of Alphaeus

James of Alphaeus

10

Chrysoprasus

Labbaeus Thadeus (other Judas)

Thadeus

Simon Zelotes

Simon Zelotes

Thadeus (other Judas) or Simon Zelotes (Simon the Canaanite)

11

Jacinth

Simon the Canaanite (Zelotes)

Simon the Canaanite

other Judas (Thadeus)

other Judas

Simon the Canaanite (Zelotes) or other Judas (Thadeus)

12

Amethyst

(Matthias)

12
gates named for the 12 Patriarchs and 12 foundations named for the
12 Apostles

Position of Gates of The City (not but near
Jerusalem) or New Jerusalem and the 12 Tribes of Israel

Gates Direction

Direction of Gates

Gates Direction

North1

North2

North3

Reuben

Judah

Levi

West3

Naphtali

Joseph

East1

West2

Asher

THE CITY

Benjamin

East2

West1

Gad

Dan

East3

South3

South2

South1

Zebulon

Issachar

Simeon

We
also see that the city has no Temple because God will dwell there
with His people and He will be our Temple. There is no need for sun
or moon or stars because time as we know it end, the sun, moon and stars were
given to us to mark days and times and seasons, There will be a time of some sort, as we will see in the next chapter, but time as we know it will be no more. Christ will be our
light and there will be no night.

Only
those who are redeemed by God will populate this city.

Chapter
22:1-2 – Here is the literal river of Living Water that Jesus
alluded to wit the woman at the well, also is the Tree of Life with
sustaining fruit and healing leaves. The river itself will be
crystal pure and radiating with the light of Christ.

V.
3-5 – This is the best part of all! Forget the precious stones,
forget the brightness, forget the crystal river, forget the fruit
from the tree of life – WE WILL BE IN THE VERY PRESENCE OF GOD,
BASKING IN THE FULLNESS OF HIS DEITY AND LOVE!!! Imagine what that
alone will be like. Imagine the greatest time of worship you have
ever experienced and the closeness you felt to God in that moment,
and that is but a mere shadow of what it will be like to bask in the
glory and majesty of God, in His very presence, for all eternity!

V.
6-7 – This is the blessed hope we have in knowing that Jesus us
coming soon! Many of the signs that God gave us have come to pass,
including the budding of the fig tree which is the revived Israel.

V.
8-9 - This angel that showed these things to John was undoubtedly
glorious to behold as John attempted to worship at his feet, yet
John is admonished – Worship only God! This is a command that
needs to be heeded in our culture of idol worship and “spirituality”

V.
10-21 – Jesus declares His deity, Alpha and Omega – Beginning
and the End: Isaiah
44:6
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD
of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there
is no god.

Isaiah
48:12
"Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I
am the first, and I am the last.
Clearly God is speaking to Isaiah and Jesus is speaking to John, the
only conclusion is that Jesus is God!

John
is told to not
seal up this testimony, while Daniel was told to seal his vision up
until the time of the end. This is more evidence that we are nearing
the time of theses events. Jesus calls us to salvation that we not
miss out. Jesus calls all who desire to come to the waters of life
that will flow from His throne. We are charged with presenting that
invitation to the lost, we are charged to go into all the world and
make disciples. Jesus warns us to not take away or add to this book
as doing so will have dire consequences. We take literal all that we
can and speculate loosely on the rest.

Jesus
promises that He is coming soon and the implication is that we need
to be ready, we need to be calling the lost and abiding in Christ,
occupying until His return!